The Manhattan is one of the archetypal whiskey cocktails. Dating back to at least the late 19th century, this stirred cocktail is a simple but ingenious mixture of whiskey, bitters and vermouth.
For this Manhattan we’ve chosen to use bourbon, this lends the drink a slightly sweeter, more fruit-forward profile than if we were to use rye, which tends to have spicier notes.
INGREDIENTS:
🥃 50ml Bourbon
💧 15ml Sweet Vermouth
💦 1-2 dashes Angostura Bitters
🍒 Maraschino Cherry to Garnish
EQUIPMENT:
- Mixing Glass or Boston Glass
- Jigger/Measure
- Bar Spoon
- Julep Strainer
- Cubed Ice
METHOD:
1) Chill your martini glass or coupette in the freezer or by filling it with ice.
2) Using your jigger to measure, add the bitters, bourbon and vermouth to your mixing glass or Boston glass.
3) Fill glass with cubed ice.
4) Stir for around 30-45 seconds.
5) Use your julep strainer to strain into your chilled martini glass or coupette.
6) Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry.
7) Serve and enjoy.
HISTORY:
Like so many classic cocktails, the Manhattan's origins are rife with speculation, rumour and conflicting accounts regarding its creation.
It’s widely reported to have been created in the 1870’s at The Manhattan Club-hence the name-where it was first served at a banquet in honour of New York governor and one-time presidential candidate, Samuel J. Tilden. However, as David Wondrich pointed out in his 2007 book Imbibe!, the apparent host of the banquet, Jennie Jerome AKA Lady Randolph Churchill, was at home in England and pregnant with her son Winston at the time the banquet is meant to have taken place.
The true origins of this cocktail will likely remain a mystery, what we do know is that it began to appear in print around the late 19th century and soon became an iconic and essential whiskey cocktail. The Manhattan is included in David A. Embury’s list of 6 basic drinks every bartender or cocktail drinker should know from his seminal cocktail book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks from 1948.
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