Indulging in a Manhattan offers a rich and nuanced flavor experience that is surprisingly easy to create. To make this classic cocktail, you’ll need just four essential ingredients (plus ice): whiskey (usually bourbon or rye), sweet red vermouth, Angostura bitters, and maraschino cherries.
For specific ingredient measurements, check the printable recipe card below.
When preparing a Manhattan, mixologists can choose between rye whiskey or bourbon. Our preference leans toward bourbon due to its sweeter notes, which complement this cocktail beautifully. You may have a different opinion, and that’s perfectly okay!
Explore our favorite bourbon cocktail recipes.
Given that bourbon is the key ingredient in this cocktail, selecting the right type is essential. We prefer the reasonably priced Four Roses bourbon for our recipe. This Kentucky straight bourbon has a moderate alcohol content of 40% ABV and offers a delightful taste with subtle hints of vanilla and caramel, enhancing the overall flavor without overwhelming it.
For our Manhattan, we absolutely advocate for using Angostura bitters due to their unique spicy and herbal characteristics. This ingredient is essential in many cocktail recipes.
We choose Italy’s classic Martini Rosso as our sweet vermouth. Other renowned Italian sweet vermouth brands include Carpano, Cocchi, and Contratto.
Check out our favorite sweet vermouth cocktails.
As mentioned before, we held off on making a Manhattan at home until we could obtain the right cherries. After a small ordeal, we were thrilled to finally acquire them thanks to an email from our favorite liquor store in Lisbon informing us about their arrival.
When it comes to maraschino cherries, Luxardo cherries are considered the gold standard. These Italian Marasca cherries are cultivated in the Veneto region and are soaked in a rich, sweet syrup that elevates any cocktail.
Although we could easily garnish our Pink Lady cocktail with standard grocery store maraschino cherries, we insisted on waiting to craft Manhattans until we had the luxurious Luxardo cherries. Even though they are approximately four times more expensive, they are undoubtedly worth the investment.
