Manhattan
Rye or bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters — a stirred New York cocktail documented from the 1880s.
The Manhattan is a stirred cocktail combining rye or bourbon whiskey with sweet (Italian-style) vermouth and Angostura bitters, served in a coupe or martini glass with a maraschino cherry garnish. The drink is documented in print from the early 1880s; the standard formula calls for a 2:1 ratio of whiskey to vermouth. Like the Old Fashioned, it is considered a foundational 'spirit-forward' cocktail built on the whiskey–vermouth pairing that also underlies the Rob Roy (Scotch whisky variant) and Perfect Manhattan (equal parts sweet and dry vermouth). The Manhattan Club origin story — attributed to a banquet hosted by Lady Randolph Churchill in 1874 — is widely repeated but unverified by historians.
Quick facts
- Type
- Classic Recipe
- Base spirits
- rye whiskey, bourbon, sweet vermouth
- Era
- 1880s–present
- Origin
- New York City, United States
- Glass
- coupe
- IBA listed
- Yes — Official IBA cocktail
Formula and Proportions
The IBA recipe specifies 5 cl (50 ml) rye or Canadian whisky, 2 cl (20 ml) sweet red vermouth, and 1 dash Angostura bitters. All ingredients are combined in a mixing glass with ice and stirred (not shaken) to chill and dilute without clouding. The cocktail is strained into a chilled coupe or martini glass and garnished with a maraschino cherry on a pick. The stirring technique preserves clarity and the characteristic silky texture. A 'dry Manhattan' substitutes dry (French-style) vermouth; a 'perfect Manhattan' uses half sweet, half dry vermouth.
Early Documentation and the Manhattan Club Story
The earliest verifiable printed reference to the Manhattan cocktail appears in William Schmidt's 1891 book The Flowing Bowl. Other references date to the 1880s in bartender guides. The popular attribution to a dinner at the Manhattan Club hosted by Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome) in 1874 is uncorroborated — Churchill was in England and visibly pregnant at the alleged date, making the story factually inconsistent. David Wondrich and other cocktail historians classify it as apocryphal. The drink is more plausibly a product of the Manhattan bar scene in the 1880s, when sweet Italian vermouth first became widely available in the United States.
Sources & further reading (2)
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-05-08
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-05-08
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Manhattan and a Rob Roy?
A Rob Roy is made with Scotch whisky instead of American rye or bourbon. The formula is otherwise identical: spirit, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, stirred and strained into a coupe. The Scotch base shifts the character from the grain-spice notes of rye to the malt, smoke, and dried-fruit qualities of Scotch, which interact differently with the vermouth sweetness.
Why is a Manhattan stirred rather than shaken?
Stirring is used for spirit-forward cocktails that contain no fruit juice, cream, or egg. Shaking introduces air bubbles and cloudiness, which alters texture and appearance. Stirring with ice chills and dilutes the cocktail to the correct temperature and water content while maintaining clarity and the characteristic silky mouthfeel of a vermouth-based drink.