Cocktails: The Perfect Manhattan

In the class we took from Josh Durr, he made us each a Manhattan. Now, the Manhattan is my favorite cocktail, but I’ve had a lot of horrible versions, both locally and when we travel. In Vancouver, I ordered a Manhattan and had the worst drink of my life – and I’m still not sure what all he put in it. At several local bars, the bourbon and vermouth are often low-end, the drink is filled with floating ice chips, and bitters aren’t even added. Sigh.

So Josh’s Manhattan was a breath of fresh air for me – it was something out of the stylized Mad Men. Because of this class, I’m now very specific with my Manhattan order: “Four Roses or Woodford Manhattan, up, and stirred please.”

• 1 1/2 oz Four Roses Bourbon
• 1/2 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
• Dashes of Angostura bitters (or home made)

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Sounds easy, right? Josh commented that you should always use high-quality bourbon, vermouth, and bitters. He goes so far as to make his own tinctures, including bitters, but we aren’t all so dedicated. An interesting tip is that you can replace the vermouth with Elderflower liqueur for a twist on the classic Manhattan.

When you stir the Manhattan, consistently and quietly stir to chill down the drink. Josh recommended making the drink in a pint glass and pouring it out through a double-strainer.

It was good folks. Really really good.

Photo from Flickr user ginsnob
via Creative Commons

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4 Responses to “Cocktails: The Perfect Manhattan”

1. asrgtwert says:

   January 27, 2010 at 9:54 am

   a true manhattan is made with canadian whisky, not bourbon.
2. The Chief says:

   January 27, 2010 at 12:57 pm

   Sorry, but the true manhattan IS made with bourbon. Here’s another quality recipe. Maker’s Mark with Noilly Prat vermouth and Fee Brothers bitters (orange or cherry flavored recommended). Cheers!
3. Tom Ufer says:

   January 28, 2010 at 12:20 am

   I enjoy my Manhattans with rye. Either way, it is one of my favorite cocktails.
4. twinos says:

   January 28, 2010 at 2:20 am

   #Wine Blog @alawine Cocktails: The Perfect Manhattan http://bit.ly/avOuZo
   http://bit.ly/54F2rN

   This comment was originally posted on Twitter