I’ve been experimenting with my second favorite I’m-in-a-bar-and-need-to-order-something-safe cocktail. I wrote about my love for the Old Fashioned in my series on Rye cocktails here, but sometimes they come out with things like a neon red maraschino cherry muddled up in it, or topped off with soda water. A Manhattan (otherwise known as a whiskey cocktail) is even easier to make, and is almost always drinkable given halfway decent booze and vermouth.

Let’s start with the basics, then I’ll cover variations, including seasonal and international variants. And I’ll wrap up with how to get really fancy while staying within the framework of the basic Manhattan.

The Basics
A Manhattan is essentially four ingredients: spirit, fortified wine, bitters, and garnish. Historically, it was made with Rye whiskey as the primary spirit. There are very little variations to the classic (Dale DeGroff’s Craft of the Cocktail uses the same formula).

For the basic version, I made four different variants and tried them all side by side:

Templeton Rye + Carpano Punt e Mes vermouth
Templeton Rye + Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon + Carpano Punt e Mes vermouth
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon + Carpano Antica Formula vermouth

Both Punt e Mes and Carpano Antica are Italian vermouths, but Punt e Mes is more bitter. I think Antica has a hint more vanilla and sweetness (yet I wouldn’t call it sweet), and is something I enjoy drinking on its own as an aperitif.

My personal preference is for the Rye Manhattan made with Antica Formula. The Bourbon version was good, too, but I still prefer the drink made with Antica Formula. Bourbon is a little softer (and a bonus – Four Roses uses non-GMA corn in their mash). The beauty of cocktails is that there’s endless variation in a recipe, so if you prefer a spicier whiskey paired with a more bitter vermouth, try Rye with Punt e Mes. Like the heady vanilla and oak of Bourbon? You might show a preference for Bourbon and Antica Formula.

One last comment on the classic formula for a Manhattan. The proportions may need to be adjusted based on your personal preference and type of whiskey you use. A wheated Bourbon will give you a sweeter drink, so you may want to decrease the amount of vermouth slightly. Single Barrel uses a healthy amount of rye in the mix, so I was happy with a 2:1 ratio.

Simple Variations
A good place to start with variations on the classic Manhattan is with Seattle bartender Jamie Boudreau’s approach, as described in The Boston Globe. He suggests thinking in terms of the Golden Ratio when constructing a Manhattan. This will give you a basic framework for a balanced drink when making substitutions.

For my first Manhattan variation, I tried Boudreau’s Treaty of Paris:

I like Sherry a lot, but this drink wasn’t as appealing to me as a classic Manhattan. Still, it’s interesting to see how the character of the drink changes by swapping out like for like. I could see using Port of Madeira for the fortified wine, for example. And even using a different kind of bitters will result in a noticeably different drink. Here are a few other variations I tried and liked:




Tomorrow, I’ll cover some more specific variations, including how to get fancy with your Manhattan.

Laura Baddish, from the Baddish Group PR firm, provided me with bottle of Templeton Rye, Four Roses Single Batch Bourbon; and two sweet vermouths, Carpano Antica Formula and Punt e Mes.