As you know from my "cocktail of the week" posts, I enjoy a good Manhattan. It's a spirit-forward drink that warms the tummy on a cold evening. A classic cocktail that has been around since pre-prohibition and is still going strong. It's one of the first cocktails, mixologists learn to master. It is complex in flavour, yet requires only a few bottles that most home bars have on their shelf.
About a year ago, I came across a description of a Perfect Manhattan - it's a lesser known riff on the original Manhattan. It combines a "perfect" or equal amount of both sweet and dry vermouth, hence the name. The key here is to use a sweet vermouth that is lighter and won't overpower the other ingredients.
My perfect Manhattan garnish is 1-3 boozy cherries. I have been working on a homemade cherry recipe - but it's not quite their yet. So, in the meantime if you are looking to purchase cocktail cherries, Griotinne Cherry's in Kirsch are my absolute favourite! If you don't want to purchase or make your own boozy cherries, feel free to garnish with a thick citrus twist. I like orange, especially in the winter when citrus is at it's best, but lemon also works well.
I hope you love a Perfect Manhattan as much as I do!
Enjoy,
Krista
Perfect Manhattan
Ingredients
2 oz bourbon (or rye)
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz dry vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Boozy cocktail cherry, to garnish
Method
In a mixing glass with ice, add bourbon, dry and sweet vermouths and bitters. Stir until well combined. Strain into a chilled old fashioned glass (you could also use a coupe glass). Garnish with cherries.
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