9. If You Can Make It There: The Manhattan
WHAT IT IS: A potent and tasty blend of rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, with a dash of bitters; this is essentially a whiskey martini. The Manhattan is a classic for a reason, and the higher quality ingredients you put in it will pay dividends on the finished product.
HOW TO MAKE IT: In a shaker or mixing glass, combine 2 oz of good rye Whiskey. Add ¾ of an ounce of good sweet vermouth. Punt y Mes and Carpano Antiqua are both wonderful. Try not to skimp on the quality of the vermouth, as it matters. Add a dash of an interesting cocktail bitter, personally, I prefer the Aztec Chocolate bitters, but orange bitters, or Old Fashioned bitters work beautifully. STIR. I repeat, STIR. Do not shake a Manhattan or you will lose the beauty of the thing. Strain through a tea strainer to catch ice chips into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry, or possibly with an orange twist around it.
The resulting drink is dark, beautiful and spicy. It tastes a million times better than those cheap bourbon-rocks Manhattans your bro friend swears by. This is the real deal. This is sophisticated and subtle and sexy and dangerous.
If someone wants a “perfect” Manhattan, they mean equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth, usually with a twist.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Because life is way too short for Bro-hattans.
