Cocktail

Manhattan

Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters — stirred until cold, served straight up. One of the oldest and most enduring cocktails ever made.

🥃 Base spirit Whiskey
🍸 Method Stirred
⭐ Difficulty Easy
🍒 Flavour Rich · Bitter
🥂 Glass Coupe or martini

About the Manhattan

The Manhattan is one of the oldest cocktails still ordered at bars every night of the week, and for good reason. It’s just three ingredients — whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters — stirred together until cold and properly diluted, then strained into a chilled glass. The result is warming, complex, and completely satisfying in a way that takes about four minutes to achieve.

It dates back to the 1870s and is one of the original stirred spirit-forward cocktails — the category that also gave us the Martini and the Old Fashioned. Rye whiskey is the traditional choice, giving a spicier, drier result, while bourbon produces something rounder and sweeter. Both are correct. The choice comes down to what you prefer and what’s on your shelf.

Whiskey Sweet Vermouth Rich Bitter Sweet Stirred

The Classic Recipe

Classic Manhattan — Serves 1
  • 50ml rye whiskey or bourbon
  • 25ml sweet vermouth
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Maraschino cherry or expressed orange peel, to garnish
Method
  1. Chill your coupe or martini glass — place it in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice water while you mix.
  2. Add the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters to a mixing glass with plenty of ice.
  3. Stir steadily for around 30 seconds. You’re looking for the drink to be well chilled and properly diluted — don’t rush this step, it matters.
  4. Discard the ice water from your glass and strain the cocktail in. Garnish with a maraschino cherry dropped in, or express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in or rest it on the rim.

Tips for the Best Manhattan

Rye vs bourbon — what’s the difference? Rye whiskey gives a spicier, drier Manhattan with more bite. Bourbon is sweeter and rounder, which some people prefer. If you’re new to the drink, bourbon is the more approachable starting point. Rye is where many people end up.
Your vermouth needs to be fresh. Sweet vermouth is wine-based and goes off once opened. Keep it in the fridge and use it within a month or two. Stale vermouth is one of the most common reasons a Manhattan tastes flat or bitter in the wrong way.
Stir, don’t shake. The Manhattan is a stirred drink. Shaking introduces too much dilution and aeration, which muddies the texture and dulls the flavour. A slow, steady stir for 30 seconds gives you exactly what you want — cold, silky, and clear.
The bitters matter more than you think. Two dashes of Angostura is the classic measure. Don’t skip them — they’re not just for aromatics, they provide the bitter backbone that ties the whiskey and vermouth together. Orange bitters work well too, either instead of or alongside Angostura.
Use a proper maraschino cherry. Luxardo cherries are worth the investment — they’re dark, rich, and genuinely delicious rather than the neon-red, cloying version. If you drop one into the drink, use a cocktail pick so it doesn’t sink and disappear.

Popular Variations

Perfect Manhattan

Uses equal parts dry and sweet vermouth instead of all sweet. The result is less rich and slightly more herbal — a drier, more complex drink.

Rob Roy

A Manhattan made with Scotch whisky. The smoke and peat of Scotch changes the character considerably — use a lighter, unpeated Scotch for the best result.

Black Manhattan

Replaces sweet vermouth with Averna amaro, an Italian bitter liqueur. Darker, more herbal, and with a longer bitter finish than the classic.

Boulevardier

Swaps the vermouth for Campari — essentially a whiskey Negroni. See our Negroni entry for the Campari-first version of this family of drinks.

Old Fashioned

The Manhattan’s close cousin — whiskey, bitters, and sugar, built directly in the glass over ice rather than stirred and served up. Simpler, but just as satisfying.

Dry Manhattan

Made with dry vermouth instead of sweet. Much lighter and less rich — closer to a Martini in character, and worth trying if you find the classic too heavy.

How to Serve

Glass: A chilled coupe or martini glass, always served straight up with no ice. The Manhattan is a stirred, no-ice drink — serving it over rocks is an option some people prefer, but it’s not the classic serve and you’ll lose the clarity and texture that makes it special.
Garnish: A Luxardo maraschino cherry is the traditional choice. An expressed orange peel works equally well and adds a citrus lift on the nose. Some bars do both — the cherry in the drink on a pick, and the orange peel expressed and discarded so only the oils remain.
Batching: The Manhattan batches beautifully. Mix a large quantity of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters in a bottle with around 25% water to account for dilution, and keep it in the freezer. Pour straight into a chilled glass — no stirring required, and it’s ready to serve in seconds.

Related Database Entries

Explore the key ingredients and spirits in this cocktail:

Whiskey Sweet Vermouth Negroni Martini