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Man O' War
Zingy, sweet and sour, fruity and bourbon-laced. The sugar syrup is my own addition, and depending on your lemons and tastes, you may want to either omit...
Chris Brislawn
24th August at 03:56
A citrusy whiskey sour variant that has a classical taste. It's clearly older than Indianapolis circa 2015, but based on Difford's lack of old-timey references it probably isn't named after the ships of the Age Of The Fighting Sail (and probably not after the jellyfish), so we'll go with the horse. Works well with 2 oz bourbon and 1/2 tsp maraschino syrup: good sweet-sour balance and a bit drier than the recipe. Cointreau is overkill, however; use a less delicate triple-sec like Marnier or Dry Curacao. I also added an expressed orange zest to the lemon-zest-and-cherry garnish.
5th June at 17:56
Tried this as a mixed value bag: Jack Daniels, Mancino Red, brown sugar simple syrup, no maraschino. Unexpectedly interesting - not complex, but certainly greater than the sum of its parts and will definitely have again.
19th May at 10:17
I tried a budget version - Hogs 3 bourbon, Vok triple-sec, Martini rosso, with fresh lemon from my parents and my own rich syrup - no cherry. Stirred not shaken so possibly a little warm (most ingredients were chilled though), the sweetness, etc seemed good to me - citrus forward but balanced and very enjoyable!
14th May at 16:03
Reading the comments before, I found the cocktail quite tart. I will follow the tip to substitute maraschino syrup for rich syrup next time.
30th March at 01:09
Very enjoyable, although in this category (bourbon with lemon) I would prefer the Maple Leaf.
11th January at 14:24
We went with lime juice in place of the lemon, just to lift the tartness a wee bit. In search of dryness, we substituted Orange Curacao for the triple sec. And following a commenter, substituted a barspoon of Maraschino cherry juice for the sugar syrup. A wonderfully complex sour.
2nd January at 08:53
This is one that I think would be a great starting point for some excellent riffs. I made it as written, but with simple syrup instead of rich. Personally, I would prefer a bit more of a citrus zing, but I’d still say this is an excellent cocktail. Next time (and there will be a next time 😉) I’ll omit the syrup altogether and/or increase the lemon juice.
Btw, I love this website! Thank you, Simon. 😘
Btw, I love this website! Thank you, Simon. 😘
20th November 2024 at 17:21
Wonderful and you deserve a PhD in mixology for your dedication to research Dr. Difford.
Thank you
Thank you
21st November 2024 at 07:26
Many thanks for your kind words, Ruth. My school years would have been very different if such qualifications were available.
13th April 2024 at 03:13
This one's got great structure. Interesting how the flavor of the bourbon came through unmasked. Can't wait to make this with a better bourbon. I know it will be a five.
25th February 2024 at 15:05
Tried it with four roses+cointreau, four roses small batch+cointreau, and four roses small batch+curacao. the 2nd one was surprisingly by far the best, even with Carpano Antica somehow not overwhelming. Lovely vanilla and warming spice. An excellent drink. HOF 9/291
22nd August at 06:26
I tried almost the same combination: four roses small batch select (adjusted to 40ml)+cointreau+Antica di Torino+lemon juice+a bar spoon of syrup from my maraschino cherry jar. Characters of the four roses vividly expressed, with refreshing citrus and warm spice notes. Awesome bedtime sipper, but I'll try with Grand Marnier+lime juice to see whether it gets even more enchanting.
3rd February 2024 at 05:19
forget the simple syrup, slurp some Luxardo marichano cherry syrup, i did two cherry drizzles.
30th October 2023 at 00:42
I’m pleasantly surprised. I confess my pour of the triple sec was slightly heavy, and I have never been much of a sweet vermouth fan. But I had a new bottle of sweet vermouth and this sounded good. I’m not disappointed at all! It was very good and I enjoyed it in one of my antique coupes. I’m going to try it next with Cointreau and anther with Curaçao and see how they compare!
24th May 2024 at 01:42
Mr Plante, may I ask the results of your research? I'm still figuring this drink out and I'm curious about your conclusions. Cheers!
26th May 2023 at 18:38
Maker’s Mark needed finishing and I just bought fresh Rosso… Good tip to consider the lemon, my result was slightly too sour and needed a sugar bump to balance. Props also for the orange bitter call - I used Basque 27 orange blossom.
Curious about what the other two cocktails ‘done right’ might have been..?
Curious about what the other two cocktails ‘done right’ might have been..?
8th October 2023 at 04:08
I’m sure one of them was the Mint Julep
6th May 2023 at 20:16
Gorgeous cocktail. Next time I'll add the drop or two of orange bitters suggested below. Yum.
1st January 2023 at 19:11
Just incredible. Was my first drink with sweet red vermouth, and it was truly divine. An appealing sweet and sour palate of orange and lemon finishes with the dark, burnt caramel-like note of the Bourbon. Stunning.
10th September 2022 at 10:45
Looking at the ingredients I thought it would be hitting my taste. Overall it was a bit letdown for me. Trying to fix it but still not that good.
12th August 2022 at 06:46
Delicious, more-ish, lip-smacking goodness. I found omitting the sugar, but dropping a syrup-coated Luxardo cherry into the glass instead, to be the perfect recipe.
12th March 2022 at 13:03
It's a very orange forward whisky sour.. Yummy.
Anonymous
9th January 2022 at 00:24
a very enjoyable cocktail. I am one who enjoys the pucker, and this one is not too sweet, with a very enjoyable bourbon note. A Keeper!
5th January 2022 at 15:01
Huh! A nearly identical cocktail, with lime juice in lieu of lemon, seems to be known as the "Churchill" cocktail or "Churchill Manhattan" – interestingly, no mention of either is to be found on your site!
At a bar in my home town, they served it on the rocks (and under a cloche filled with cigar smoke in a tribute to its namesake), but serving it up seems the norm. I make it with rye for a bit more sharpness, and I find that bianco vermouth makes for a nicer color in combination with the lime.
At a bar in my home town, they served it on the rocks (and under a cloche filled with cigar smoke in a tribute to its namesake), but serving it up seems the norm. I make it with rye for a bit more sharpness, and I find that bianco vermouth makes for a nicer color in combination with the lime.
7th January 2022 at 12:01
Wow, thank you, Simon – mystery solved, and the info on Joe's page is definitely a bonus!
5th January 2022 at 21:14
I believe the Churchill or Churchill Manhattan is properly named a Sir Winston. I've added a link under "variant" above. Also, please see the pic on our Joe Gilmore page.
2nd October 2021 at 22:16
Anyone else try this because of the name?! (Metal Band)
4th March 2022 at 20:10
Yes, Man o' War (Fair Play x Mahubah) is one of my partner's ancestors. So, I had to give it a try! Sadly, Belcade's career was rather less distinguished, but no matter: he has a heart of gold, and is as honest as they come. Erm... that's not quite what you meant, is it?
11th February 2022 at 06:43
haha that'll be us
30th September 2021 at 20:26
Used Carpano Antica in place of the Cocchi. Delicious. I'll omit the sugar next time as it tastes a hair too sweet.
22nd April 2022 at 12:04
Used Antica Formula in mine and agree. Great drink
20th September 2021 at 05:02
Really delicious and balanced. I omitted the sugar based on other comments and didn't miss it. The cherry and lemon garnishes add great scent and the needed sweetness, respectively.
17th September 2021 at 20:11
To my taste, this is too sweet for an aperitif, and I agree with Simon calling it a nightcap. A very enjoyable sweet after-dinner drink.
14th June 2021 at 00:23
Totally agree with the other comments. Great for before dinner. I did add about 10 ml additional Bourbon and also a 2 drops of orange bitters. Next time I think I will half or omit the sugar syrup.
17th April 2021 at 17:18
Perfect pre-dinner cocktail, luscious and tasty, on the sweet side but cracking with a little extra (10ml) Bourbon to give it an extra kick.
15th April 2021 at 02:12
After looking online and seeing 3 other recipes mentioned numerous times, I should have known before experimenting that Simon's version would be the best balanced and most delicious. Another winner.
15th April 2021 at 06:17
Thanks!
Anonymous
4th April 2021 at 18:20
One of my favorites. Well balanced, sweet and easy but with depth.
6th March 2021 at 09:07
Omitted the sugar syrup as I felt the triple sec and vermouth was sufficient sweetness. Great cocktail!
29th January 2021 at 18:13
came across this one whilst looking what to make tonight and as we are heavy metal fans and we like a band called Manowar it was just an omen