Manhattan Cocktail Recipe: An Amazing Drink
The Manhattan cocktail recipe is actually one of the oldest cocktails around. It is believed that it was first invented in the luxurious and prestigious Manhattan Club in New York City in the year 1880. The 1800s was literally the golden age of culture, food, and art and the French even referred to the period as the Belle Époque, literally meaning the beautiful age.
After its invention, the Manhattan cocktail quickly became one of the most popular cocktails in the world. Today, there isn’t a bar out there that won’t serve a Manhattan. Perhaps the appeal of this cocktail is that it is made of very simple Manhattan cocktail ingredients. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, you can even make a substitution to create a Manhattan cocktail variation.
Some variations of this cocktail include rye whisky while others use bourbon whisky. Some even use brandy or coffee liquor to give this cocktail an extra depth of flavor. Whatever the case, the main ingredients include whisky, Angostura bitters, Italian vermouth (preferably from the city of Turin), and of course, some orange peel as a garnish. Since there are so many ways to make a Manhattan cocktail, there is a variation for every taste.
Whether you want a sweet or bitter cocktail, you won’t have a problem when choosing the right ingredients for your Manhattan. But what if you want to go old-fashioned and try a classic Manhattan cocktail? Check out the traditional Manhattan cocktail recipe below and find out how to put it together.
Manhattan Cocktail Recipe
- 2 ounces bourbon or rye whisky
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
- Luxardo cherry or orange peel
Choosing between bourbon or rye whisky can be difficult, so why not try both? A Manhattan with bourbon will be sweeter, warmer, and smoother. On the other hand, when made with rye whisky, it will be stronger and more intense. Choose whatever fits your mood!
Once you have all your ingredients gathered together, don’t you dare reach for that Boston shaker. Shaking a Manhattan cocktail is practically a sin. Instead, this is a stirred drink (sorry, James Bond). In a mixing glass, mix all your ingredients together with a few chunks of ice using a long spoon.
You won’t want to mix the drink for too long, otherwise, the ice might start to melt and render the cocktail watery. After a few quick stirs, pour the drink into your desired drinking glass. As you do this, make sure you pour the drink through a strainer so you don’t get any chunks of ice in your final drink.
Once that’s done, peel off some orange zest for garnish. Before placing the rind in the drink, try squeezing it a bit so you can add some of the orange oils and aroma to the drink. If you don’t like the addition of orange, you can add a Luxardo cherry instead. It is much different from the traditional, bright red Maraschino cherry you might be thinking of.
A Luxardo cherry is much more sophisticated, almost black in color, and nutty rather than sweet. It can add a great layer of complexity to your final drink. For a spin on this traditional Manhattan, you can substitute the whisky for brandy or cognac. You might even dare to add Maraschino liqueur or even an Italian amaro for some extra bitterness.
Whatever the case, a Manhattan cocktail is a cocktail that you can enjoy at virtually any time of day and for any occasion. So, what are you waiting for? A perfectly delectable cocktail is out there waiting to be made.
