How to Make a Manhattan | a simple classic cocktail recipe

Hello everyone! Welcome back to my bar. No, welcome back. Welcome back to my apartment. I hope you are well and ready for another cocktail because I want to show you how I make a Manhattan. The Manhattan is one of the pillars of classic cocktails, one of the most popular, and people are rather particular about how they like their Manhattans. Some people like it on the rocks, some people like it up, some people like it with rye whiskey, bourbon whiskey, some people like it with half sweet vermouth and half dry vermouth, which is called a perfect Manhattan, or if you're like my grandpa, brandy, because that's how we do it in Wisconsin. That's what happens up there. But I'm going to show you how I drink a Manhattan, which is the classic recipe with rye whiskey. Needless to say, this is a cocktail you should have in your arsenal because everybody loves a good Manhattan. Here we go! We're going to have a Manhattan! To the bar! A few things we're going to need. Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. The rye whiskey I'm using is Rittenhouse rye, the sweet vermouth is Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and the bitters is Angostura aromatic bitters, which if you only have one bitters, this is the bitters you should have. I would also like to point out that we're making a classic Manhattan as opposed to the perfect Manhattan, which is a variation of the same cocktail, only it would call for an addition of dry vermouth. Classic Manhattan. And of course, cherries for garnish. My friend Cody made these, which are the cherries we use at the bar. They're Amarena black cherries soaked in bourbon. Thank you, Cody. But if you don't have a friend that makes cherries, then I recommend the Luxardo cherries, which are also very good. So let's get building! But before we get going, you want to chill your glass. I'm chilling this one with a little ice and water. You can put it in the freezer if you want, just for me, this particular glass, I know I would break it in there. So I've got this going. Get your glass cold. This cocktail is stirred. I've got a cocktail mixing glass. If you don't have one of these, you can just use a pint glass at home. You ready? Okay. Two ounces of rye whiskey. And one ounce of sweet vermouth. So this part, it's really simple. It's just twice the amount of whiskey to vermouth. Two to one. And then two dashes of Angostura bitters. I always add the ice last, because if you add the ice and then build the cocktail, you immediately start diluting the cocktail. Like I am right now, because I'm talking. So we need to stir. A lot of people at the bar ask me, how do you know when it's done? And they say 20 to 30 seconds of stirring, but I've never timed myself. So I just watch the ice as it falls into the cocktail. And then the side of the glass, when it starts to look cold and you see condensation, but it can take a little while. So I didn't time this one either, but I think that's good. And strain off the ice. The last drop is always the best. Now all we have to do is garnish it. So we got cherries. So classically, it calls for one cherry that you can just drop in, but I want three cherries right on top. And that's it. That is our Manhattan. So here's a story. A long time ago, when I was first starting out bartending, I was up in Wisconsin where I grew up and this guy came in and asked if I knew how to make a perfect Manhattan. So I thought, yeah, I can, because I just assumed he wanted a really good Manhattan. And that was like the one cocktail I knew how to make. So I made him a Manhattan and he took a sip and said, this isn't perfect. Would you mind making it for me again? So I thought, wow, I screwed up. So I just made it for him again. Same drink. And he took a sip and he said, this still isn't perfect. Do you want to have another try? And I'm thinking, God, this guy is picky. But I made it for him again. And I took my time with it. He was watching me now. So I mixed it together, did a little straw tap taste. I was proud of this Manhattan. And I set it down in front of him. And without even taking a sip, he just looks at me and said, I don't think you know what perfect means. To which I said, hey, man, this is the best Manhattan I know how to make. And he proceeded to tell me that perfect meant half sweet and half dry vermouth. He schooled me. He could have told me because I made that cocktail three times. This was like two decades ago, mind you. Anyway, cheers to you and your Manhattan. Perfect or otherwise. If you like this video, I would love it if you'd like and subscribe. And I will see you next time. All right, Manhattans. High five. Okay. Oops. Bye.