Manhattan cocktail: the perfect recipe

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The legend says that the Manhattan cocktail was born at the Manhattan Club in New York, during a banquet, in 1874, from the fervid imagination of the statesman Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome, a lovely lady who dabbled with liqueurs and spirits to surprise their guests with witty inventions.

The Manhattan is one of the most famous cocktails globally, an iconic drink, excellent as an aperitif or after-dinner companion. If you want to relax after a tough day, this is the recipe you’ll learn to love.

Manhattan’s recipe is simple: it’s made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and a few drops of Angostura. But we propose you is the original one, made with rye whiskey, although the most popular version was based only on Canadian whiskey for many years.

The flavor of the Manhattan drink is complex, entangling, and sophisticated: three leading suggestions are mixed in a cocktail that many consider the quintessence of perfection: the smokiness of whiskey, the delicate caress of the vermouth, and the bitter kiss of Angostura. Yeah, probably it’s the perfect cocktail.

Manhattan cocktail ingredients and doses

• 5 cl of rye whiskey (or Canadian whisky)
• 2 cl of sweet vermouth
• 1 Maraschino cherry
• ice
• Angostura, a couple of drops over ice before pouring the ingredients
• lemon peel (optional)

How to make a Manhattan cocktail

Put 3 cubes of ice in a mixing glass, add a drop of Angostura, and pour the rye whiskey along with red vermouth.

Stir gently until the sides of the glass are icy.

Put a cocktail cherry in a Martini glass and pour the cocktail, making sure to filter through the strainer.

The lemon peel is a suggestion, not contemplated in the original recipe, but always good.

How to make the Manhattan Perfect

The Perfect is in the middle because it provides the same amount of whiskey, but it is made with both vermouths: 1 cl dry vermouth and 1 cl sweet vermouth, the red one. The result is excellent, consistently smooth, but less sweet, and the taste of dry vermouth adds a delicious herbaceous hint.

How to make the Dry Manhattan

The name says it all, this version of the Manhattan cocktail is much more dry, sharp, and precise at an aromatic level. Honestly, it is also more credible, given that rye is already quite sweet and caramelized. If we want to contextualize it in the constellation of the best cocktails, it corresponds to the Dry Martini: we could say that it’s the American-style version of it.

Manhattan cocktail food pairings

Red meat, roast beef, and spicy dishes also with grilled vegetables. Suggested dishes: mixed paella, tuna tataki with sesame, chicken curry, fish balls, salmon with teriyaki sauce, grilled tenderloin with whiskey sauce, and mushrooms.