The Perfect Manhattan


Friday cocktail hour is one of my favorite hours of the week. Always something new to try or modify for a bit of experimentation. There is a wonderful book by Bernard DeVoto titled The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto that covers the topic in highly opinionated detail.

I love a good Manhattan cocktail. I recently expanded my horizons by making some Perfect Manhattans. The only difference is the substitution of 1/2 the sweet vermouth with dry vermouth. The choice of whiskey, vermouth and bitters have tremendous impact on the taste of the final product.

Perfect Manhattan
2 oz whiskey (bourbon or rye)
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz dry vermouth
3 or 4 dashes (soon to be converted to drops) bitters
lemon peel or maraschino cherry

  • Add whiskey, vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass with ice. 
  • Stir and stir and stir. You want some dilution from the melting ice.
  • Strain into a cocktail glass. Add maraschino cherry or homemade brandy/maraschino liquor cherry.OR use lemon peel expressed over the glass.

No comments:

Post a Comment