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New York City (Manhattan Club tradition) · American

Manhattan (The Classic Whiskey Cocktail)

Rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, stirred down cold and served up with a cherry. The original whiskey cocktail — spirit-forward, silky, and endlessly elegant.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 22, 2026

A deep amber Manhattan served up in a coupe glass with a brandied cherry, on a dark wood bar with warm low light.

Born in 1870s New York and named for the Manhattan Club, this is the drink that taught a generation how a cocktail should be built: a base spirit, a fortified wine to round it, and bitters to tie them together. It predates and directly inspired the Martini, and remains the benchmark by which whiskey cocktails are judged.

Yield
Makes 1
Prep
4 min
Cook
0 min
Total
About 4 min
Difficulty
Easy

The Manhattan is the original whiskey cocktail and still the benchmark: rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, stirred down cold and served up with a cherry. Born in 1870s New York, it taught the cocktail world how a drink should be built — a base spirit, a fortified wine to round it, and bitters to bind them.

Rye or bourbon

Rye gives the classic Manhattan — drier and spicier, with enough backbone to push against the vermouth. Bourbon makes it softer and sweeter. Neither is wrong; pick the one that suits you and make it your house pour.

Stir, never shake

There’s no juice here, so shaking would only cloud the drink with bubbles. Build it over plenty of ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds until very cold. The reward is a silky, crystal-clear cocktail.

Serve it up

Strain into a chilled coupe and drop in a brandied cherry — the dark sweetness is the perfect foil for the spice of the rye. Compare it with the spirit-only Old Fashioned or the brighter Whiskey Sour. More in the Drinks guide.

Ingredients

Makes
1
  • 60 ml (2 oz) rye whiskey Rye gives the classic, drier, spicier Manhattan; bourbon makes it softer and sweeter. Either is correct — choose your house style.
  • 30 ml (1 oz) sweet (red) vermouth A good Italian rosso. Keep it in the fridge once opened — it's wine and oxidizes.
  • 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
  • brandied cherry, to garnish
  • ice

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Add the whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass filled with ice.

    Why: Building over plenty of ice lets the drink chill fast while picking up just the right amount of dilution.

  2. Stir for 20–30 seconds until very cold and lightly diluted.

    Why: Stir, never shake — a Manhattan has no juice, so shaking would only cloud it with air bubbles. Stirring keeps it crystal-clear and silky.

  3. Strain into a chilled coupe (or over a large cube in a rocks glass). Garnish with a brandied cherry.

    Why: Serving up, ice-cold, shows off the texture; the cherry adds a sweet, dark counterpoint to the spice of the rye.

A quick, anonymous tap — no review needed.

Variations

  • Perfect Manhattan

    Use 15 ml sweet and 15 ml dry vermouth instead of all sweet, for a drier, more balanced drink. Garnish with a lemon twist.

  • Rob Roy

    Swap the rye for Scotch whisky — the same build with a smoky, malty character.

  • Bourbon Manhattan

    Use bourbon for a rounder, sweeter, more approachable version — a good starting point if rye feels sharp.

Serving & Storage

An after-dinner sipper or a slow pre-dinner drink. It wants nothing alongside it but maybe a few salted almonds — it's a contemplative cocktail.

Pairs with: Salted almonds, Dark chocolate, Aged cheddar, Charcuterie.

Storage: Stir to order. You can batch the whiskey and vermouth in a bottle (2:1) and keep it chilled; stir over ice with bitters when you pour.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 cocktail (~100 ml))

Calories
185
Protein
0 g
Carbs
5 g
Fat
0 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugar
4 g
Sodium
2 mg

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rye or bourbon for a Manhattan?

Traditionally rye, which is drier and spicier and stands up to the vermouth. Bourbon makes a softer, sweeter Manhattan. Both are legitimate — try each and decide your house style. If you're new to whiskey cocktails, bourbon is the gentler entry.

Why stir instead of shake?

Shaking is for drinks with juice or cream that need aeration. A Manhattan is all spirit and vermouth, so shaking would just bruise it with tiny bubbles and cloud it. Stirring chills and dilutes it while keeping it silky and clear.

Can I make it without vermouth?

Not really — the vermouth is half the drink, rounding and sweetening the whiskey. Without it you just have chilled whiskey with bitters (an Old Fashioned is closer to that). If your vermouth tastes flat, it's oxidized; open a fresh bottle and keep it refrigerated.

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Further reading