Manhattan（マンハッタン）
Rye and sweet vermouth — the cocktail's velvet argument.
01Recipe
Recommended recipe
House spec — an editorial spec drawing on the sourced versions below.
| Ingredient | Measure |
|---|---|
| Rye whiskey | 50 ml |
| Sweet vermouth | 20 ml |
| Angostura bitters | 1 dash |
Total volume (pre-dilution)
2.5 : 1
- 01
Stir all ingredients over ice, 20–30 seconds.
- 02
Strain into a chilled coupe.
- 03
Garnish with a brandied cherry.
Garnish — Brandied cherry
02Taste profile
- Sweetness
- 60Strong
- Sourness*
- 0Faint
- Bitterness
- 45Moderate
- Fruitiness
- 30Light
- Herbal*
- 28Light
- Alcohol
- 78Strong
- Crisp
- 35Light
Independent editorial scores, 0–100. *Estimated from the ingredient list — a profile sketch, not a verdict.
03History
New York, early 1870s — probably at the Manhattan Club, though the oft-told story of a banquet for Lady Randolph Churchill is chronologically impossible. What survives is the structure: American whiskey softened by Italian vermouth.
Through Prohibition it survived on Canadian rye and exported glamour; after the war, bourbon versions smoothed its edges. Bartenders argue rye versus bourbon the way Martini drinkers argue ratio — the answer defines the drinker's era.
It is the Ur 'up' drink: the Manhattan cocktail party of the 1940s lent its name to a borough's drinking style, and the formula — spirit, fortified wine, bitters — remains the family template for the Martini's darker cousins.
Explore in the timeline
Origin contested — the entry keeps verified record and received legend distinct.
Sources — IBA Official Cocktails · David Wondrich, Imbibe! (2007)
04Recipe versions
Each version is shown exactly as recorded in its source — unverified claims are flagged.
- IBA Official Cocktails
International Bartenders Association · iba-web-current · Official
- Rye Whiskey50 ml
- Sweet Vermouth20 ml
- Angostura Bitters1 dash
Pour all ingredients into mixing glass with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. — Garnish with cocktail cherry.
- The Modern Bartender's Guide
O.H. Byron · 1884 · Book · unverified
- bitters2 dashe
Stir, strain, cherry.
Equal-parts origin — much sweeter than the modern 2:1.
- The Savoy Cocktail Book
Harry Craddock · 1930 · Book · unverified
- Angostura2 dashe
Stir, strain.
Pick 2 versions to compare — up to 3 on a wider screen
05Variations
- Ingredient swapRob RoyScotch whisky in place of rye→
- VariationBrooklynRye, dry vermouth, maraschino, Amer Picon
- VariationPerfect ManhattanHalf sweet, half dry vermouth
- VariationDry ManhattanDry vermouth only, lemon twist
- VariationTorontoRye + Fernet — the darker cousin→
06The map
Spirits
