Name: Game Set Match
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 50 ml Bourbon whiskey; 15 ml Vermouth alla vaniglia; 15 ml Cynar/carciofo amaro; 1 dash Aromatic bitters; 1 dash Orange bitters

Game Set Match
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Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 ²⁄₃ oz	Bourbon whiskey
¹⁄₂ oz	Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth
¹⁄₂ oz	Cynar or other carciofo amaro
1 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters
1 dash	Orange Bitters by Angostura

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of half lemon slice wheel skewered with Luxardo Maraschino Cherry (sail).
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with lemon slice skewered with maraschino cherry.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Vermouth rosso alla vaniglia (e.g. Antica Formula) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Cocktail of the day:

8th July 2025 is National Video Game Day

Review:

A Sweet Manhattan with Cynar and orange bitters. What's not to like?

View readers' comments

History:

Created in 2013 by Juan "J.P." Caceres-Rojas while working in Washington, D.C..

Nutrition:

One serving of Game Set Match contains 172 calories

Alcohol content:

1.6 standard drinks
27.03% alc./vol. (27.03° proof)
21.8 grams of pure alcohol

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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.

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Showing 6 comments for Game Set Match.
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John CARR

30th June at 15:23

Superb. Straight to the favourites list.

John CARR

8th July at 15:34

Perfect balancing of ingredients. I used maker’s 46 and loved the way it showcased the bourbon. Rich and layered with progressive revelation of flavours, as one looks for in a Manhattan. The lemon and m cherry garnish is spot on as a counterpoint to the Cynar and carpano. Match over 😉

Aidan O’Shea

24th March 2024 at 05:03

I used Old Forester as the bourbon, and found this to not be as sweet as many had warned. Antica, Cynar, and bourbon balance very nicely with these proportions. A nice addition to the Manhattan rotation.

Richard Elgar

30th November 2023 at 07:33

I liked this, but for me it needed a full 2oz of bourbon, or maybe next time I'd use 100 proof. I used Cocchi di Torino for the vermouth.

Peter McCarthy

8th July at 17:14

I'm thinking the higher proof bourbon might be good, too... Will have to try it.

Jeffrey Moore

16th July 2023 at 21:14

It's basically a bourbon version of the Little Italy.
It's fine. Definitely needs the lemon oils & peel to wake it up a bit. Tad too sweet for me. Prefer the less sweet, spicier rye in a Little Italy. If you do like a sweeter sipper, this one is for you & would also recommend the Little ??

John Hinojos

9th July 2023 at 00:24

Excellent. A very flavourful version of a sweet Manhattan with the bitterness and vegetal hints from the Cynar. Was a little sweet for me, but enjoyed immensely. Perfect as a summer aperitif before a New Orleans Creole dinner.

David M.

31st March 2021 at 05:31

Great. Starts as a luscious Carpano Antica Manhattan, with a delayed subtle bitterness from the Cynar. Benefits from a post-swallow inhale by the mouth and exhale by the nose.

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