Name: Chocolate Orange Manhattan
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 40 ml Bourbon whiskey; 10 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 25 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 10 ml Grand Marnier; 2.5 ml Dark crème de cacao; 8 drop Chocolate bitters

Chocolate Orange Manhattan
Jump to

Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar Plain Retro Coupette 15cl

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₃ fl oz	Bourbon whiskey
¹⁄₃ fl oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
⁵⁄₆ fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth chilled
¹⁄₃ fl oz	Grand Marnier or other cognac orange liqueur
¹⁄₁₂ fl oz	De Kuyper Brown Crème de Cacao
8 drop	Chocolate bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange zest twist expressed & discarded, and chocolate orange segment on rim.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

EXPRESS orange zest twist over cocktail and discard.
Garnish with chocolate orange segment on rim.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Chocolate Orange Manhattan lifestyle image

Chocolate Orange Manhattan lifestyle thumbnail

Review:

Yes, it's a Manhattan with delicate hints of chocolate and orange. A cocktail that properly delivers on its name. If you're looking for a simpler recipe, try:
- 50 ml Bourbon
- 25 ml Rosso vermouth
- 12.5 ml Cognac orange liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier)
- 8 drops Chocolate Bitters

View readers' comments

History:

Others have made Chocolate Orange Manhattans; this recipe is by yours truly in January 2026.

More cocktails by Simon Difford

Nutrition:

One serving of Chocolate Orange Manhattan contains 192 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
28.29% alc./vol. (56.58° proof)
24.9 grams of pure alcohol

More Nightcap/sipping cocktails
More Spirit-forward cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

Join the discussion

Showing 5 comments for Chocolate Orange Manhattan.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment

Mookie

8th April at 02:54

there's nothing better than a Manhattan riff that still feels like a Manhattan but tastes like a novel drink

John Hinojos

7th April at 03:23

Simon. Thank you so much for this cocktail. I normally find Manhattans a bit too sweet, but this is perfect. Nicely balanced with a hint of chocolate and orange. Not overly sweet. Perfect for an evening sipper.

Peter Pendergest

4th April at 01:01

Superb. The chocolate seems to overwhelm the orange a bit, but I think that is probably down to my chocolate liqueur (Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao, which is outstanding, but VERY chocolatey). I'll adjust for next time, which I'm sure will happen soon.

John CARR

1st April at 13:24

Due to various wartime stockpile demands my base spirit included bourbon, scotch and cognac but came out pretty nicely. Still very much a rich sweet Manhattan with the orange and choc seamlessly blended in. Stunning.

John CARR

11th April at 15:34

Remaking with more proper ingredients and Wow! Flavour bomb. A lot spicier than I expected. Wild Turkey 101 and Rittenhouse. Rich, boozy and indulgent as any good Manhattan should be. Would be interested to try with a less corny bourbon such as Elijah Craig.

Simon Sedgley

28th March at 12:19

We rarely stray from our favoured Sweet Manhattan but this is a bit of a show-stopper. Bravo. In our community, we gather around a bonfire in our local park for a sausage sizzle and conviviality on the night of the winter solstice...looking forward to longer days. We might offer some of these around this coming June.

Andre Derailleur

2nd April at 09:27

Saturnalia In Braddon?

1 reply

See discussion in the Forum