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Manhattan (Sweet)

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (561)
Manhattan (Sweet) image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 1⁄2 fl oz Bourbon whiskey
1⁄2 fl oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 fl oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

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How to make

Glass

Photographed in an UB Retro Coupe Gold 7.75oz

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

  1. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. EXPRESS orange zest twist over cocktail and discard.
  2. Garnish with skewered cherry.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Manhattan (Sweet) contains 191 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.8 standard drinks
  • 28.5% alc./vol. (57° proof)
  • 25.8 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

History

See Manhattan cocktail history

Review

I prefer my Manhattans served "Sweet", or "Perfect " at a push. The Manhattan is complex, challenging and moreish. Best of all, it's available in a style to suit every palate. For me, it's this recipe or the brilliantly simple High Ryeser Manhattan.

The above recipe scaled and reformulated to fit a small (150ml/5oz capacity coupe or nick & nora):
30ml (1oz) Bourbon
15ml (½oz) Rye whiskey
22.5ml (¾oz) Rosso (sweet) vermouth
1 dash Aromatic bitters

Cocktail of the day:

17th June 2026 is The aniversary of the Statue of Liberty's arrival

Variations/similar cocktails

Served on-the-rocks in an old-fashioned glass.
High Ryeser Manhattan
Dry Manhattan
Perfect Manhattan

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$2.41 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 8 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


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Gallery

Comments & Discussion

Ryan Harrold Premium Member
I made this with Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek Rye, Carpano Sweet Vermouth & Scrappy Aromatic Bitters and copied the comments by adding a barspoon of Maraschino Cherry Syrup, which makes a Manhattan go from a 4.5 star to a 5 star, however as much as I love bourbon, I might prefer a Manhattan with just rye whisky and no bourbon
score: 1
Ryan Harrold Premium Member
I just checked and it looks like I’m going to have to add the High Ryeser cocktail to my wish list, as that answers what I might prefer
score: 1
Tuber Magnatum Premium Member
I tried this so long ago I can't remember my thoughts on Rye vs. Rye / Bourbon. It's a moot point now as we only have rye available and very much enjoyed it tonight. You will like the High Ryeser cocktail I'm sure: I do!
score: 1
John CARR Premium Member
Was intending to make a nightcap sipper but it disappeared so quickly! Maker’s 46, Rittenhouse and Cocchi storico.
score: 6
Tuber Magnatum Premium Member
As this was cocktail of the day I wanted to make this tonight as a pre-dinner drink not realizing it is considered by some as more of a digestif / after dinner drink. As suggested by others to add a barspoon of Maraschino syrup it worked perfectly! (After all, it is a Sweet ManhatanI). I should add though, Bourbon is still not available here, so I only had rye which maybe "toned" it down a bit?
score: 1
Calvin Grant Premium Member
So sorry about the stinky orange mess in the white house. Stand Fast!
score: 4
Scott McIsaac Premium Member
A note on blending bourbon and rye: Triticale is a grain that is a hybrid of wheat and rye. Some distilleries are beginning to make whiskey from it. I've found that Dry Fly Straight Triticale whiskey makes a very nice Manhattan.
score: 4
Paul Belczowski
Tried something a little different with this one. I usually stick to my go-to recipe, but this time I swapped out the sweet vermouth for Chambord raspberry liqueur — and it was fantastic! Not saying it’s the ultimate version, but definitely worth a try. If you do, try it and let me know what you think!
score: 4
John CARR Premium Member
Don’t have any Chambord but I sometimes swap in my favourite lingonberry liqueur for the sweet element in a cocktail and it generally comes out well. So similar idea I’m guessing. Have you tried the Cherry Manhattan also on diffords? Can recommend!
score: 4
Paul Belczowski
That sounds amazing
score: 1
Paul Webb
Genius!
score: 2
Egg McKenzie
i made with bulleit rye (95% rye) and martini rosso and it came out very dry. splitting the base with bourbon would help, or perhaps a sweeter vermouth. it didn't hit the spot so i need to revisit along the lines of this recipe.
score: 3
John CARR Premium Member
Yeah Bulleit rye is amazing but super spicy. Definitely good to cut it back with something more harmonious. I’m currently loving Elijah Craig but any of the decent bourbons will mellow it nicely.
score: 3
Tony Jones
Hi Mr Difford
I appreciate you have to change your website, but it's gone really hard to use.
I've got a bottle of 101, but your site doesn't think I can make this cocktail because it doesn't think I have any bourbon.
What's going on?
(Couldn't find another way to contract you.)
score: 2
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member
We categorise standard strength bourbon (circa 45%) and BIB (50%) as different ingredients due to taste and affect on our calorie and alcohol strength calculations. However, I have now linked these as interchangeable ingredients so hopefully will now work for you.
score: 8
Annechien Premium Member
I make this with rittenhouse rye and martini rosso. 2:1 is perfect for me. And a generous splash of luxardo syrup goes in with the cherry. Together with the ango spice an orange zest this is a lovely cocktail for the colder and darker days.
score: 3
Annechien Premium Member
After finishing the martini rosso I bought a bottle of carpano antica and all of a sudden I didn’t enjoy this cocktail anymore. I started reading up on manhattan preferences online and somewhere I found the information that fixed my problem. With a bold vermouth like antica you just need different ratios. Now I do 2,5 shots rittenhouse rye to 1 shot carpano antica and I’m a happy girl again.
score: 2
Scott McIsaac Premium Member
I agree with the 2:1 ratio and the cherry syrup (I typically add about a barspoon). My favorite vermouth is Carpano Antico, and my favorite whiskey is Angel's Envy or Jameson Black Barrel, but to my taste these proportions work well with nearly any bourbon, rye, or Irish and nearly any red vermouth.
score: 3
Annechien Premium Member
Ah yes, I see where I went wrong. It should have been: “ With a bold vermouth like antica *I* just need different ratios.” My preferences are not universal of course. I still consider myself quite new to this cocktail business and I love to read everyone’s personal experiences in the comments. There’s usually a wealth of information in there. I looked up your whiskey preferences and I must say especially the Angel’s Envy has got me intrigued. Not cheap but still within my price range where I live. Into my wish list it goes..
score: 3
Eugene Granger
Irish whiskey is for me a great choice
score: 3
Paul Belczowski
The bourbon and rye combo really sets this apart. This is a favourite as I prefer American style whisky as opposed to scotch and therefore understandably that some prefer the Rob Roy. Both are great for all the right reasons
score: 3
John CARR Premium Member
Exactly. I think we tend to go through phases of preferring certain flavours, or balances of sweet/sour/dry/aromatic etc. From a traditional herbal medicine point of view, this will be balancing certain states of the body’s tissues.
Agree re the specialness of the combo of the two whiskies. … I also love an Affinity for a scotch-based alternative.
score: 3
John CARR Premium Member
Recently acquired a selection of The bitter truth bitters. Their aromatic bitters works fantastically well with a sweet rye mahattan. 60 Rittenhouse 25 carpano, bitters, orange twist and Luxardo cherry. Wonderful depth of flavour.
score: 4

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Difford’s Shop logo
$2.41 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 8 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

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