Name: Manhattan (Sweet with Bitter Chocolate)
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 60 ml Bourbon whiskey; 22.5 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 5 ml Dark crème de cacao; 5 ml Maraschino liqueur; 6 drop Chocolate bitters

Manhattan (Sweet with Bitter Chocolate)
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Manhattan (Sweet with Bitter Chocolate) image

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
2 oz	Bourbon whiskey
³⁄₄ oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
¹⁄₆ oz	Dark crème de cacao liqueur
¹⁄₆ oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
6 drop	Chocolate bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of square of 80% cacao chocolate.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with chocolate balanced 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

Review:

Those with a sweet tooth should not be misled by the word "sweet" in the name of this drink, which refers to the use of sweet vermouth in what is a dry but not bone-dry spirituous cocktail. Bourbon provides the backbone, maraschino a faint cherry fruitiness, while the all-important chocolate bitters add, well, bitter chocolate notes. Oh, and there's a dash of dark chocolate liqueur for decadence sake.

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History:

Created by yours truly in April 2017 at the Cabinet Room in London, England.
See: Manhattan cocktail history

More cocktails by Simon Difford

Nutrition:

One serving of Manhattan (Sweet with Bitter Chocolate) contains 211 calories

Alcohol content:

1.9 standard drinks
28.43% alc./vol. (28.43° proof)
26.3 grams of pure alcohol

More After dinner/digestif cocktails
More Nightcap/sipping 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.

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Showing 9 comments for Manhattan (Sweet with Bitter Chocolate).
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Justin Aniello

1st May at 23:41

Underwhelmed at first but enjoyed it more as it warmed up a little. The chocolate didn't come through nearly as much when it was cold which meant the maraschino was a little too dominating. Very nice manhattan variation once everything came through.

Rachel L

17th January at 19:35

I ran out of whiskey so I made this with cognac instead for a nice simple variation. Afterwards I made another addition - adding 1 fl oz of cream and an amarena cherry for a delightful dessert cocktail (shaken). More of a variation of a Brandy Alexander, but still delightful.

John CARR

4th April 2024 at 00:12

Wonderful chocolate manhattan for Easter. A new favourite! We used rye.

Kevin Haynes

28th March 2024 at 21:30

I can't believe I haven't had this one before, or maybe I did years ago and didn't comment. But, Simon, this is TOO delicious! What have you done? 😁

Simon Difford

29th March 2024 at 09:16

Thanks, Kevin. I must revisit. Seems appropriate Manhattan for an Easter weekend.

Katie Winder

25th July 2022 at 06:51

Used Antica and my new Sirene Chocolate liqueur from Sheringham distillery in Victoria, B.C., and Scrappy's chocolate bitters. Dang, this is an excellent drink. It's like a decadent after-dinner drink but not overly sweet and still a Manhattan at heart.

sal curreri

30th June 2022 at 23:05

Used Antica and enjoyed with 90% cocoa dark chocolate. At first seemed a bit too dry but more balanced sip by sip. Thanks for this variation.

John Hinojos

17th April 2022 at 22:43

Having this as our aperitif on Easter. Wonderful hints of cocoa and cherry. Light herbal and smoky taste from the bourbon. Wonderful. Had with prosciutto and gruyere in puff pastry
Thanks Simon, you added to our Easter celebration.

Simon Difford

18th April 2022 at 07:24

My pleasure.

barnaby salton

25th August 2021 at 19:58

this is so good.

Nathalie O'Flynn

25th December 2020 at 17:44

Sipping this right now for aperitif, made skewers with 3 Amarena cherries. Used Martini Rubino for the Vermouth part, and used Aztec choc bitters as that’s the only one I have of this type. All in all rather delicious and not necessarily just for after dinner. In fact wanted to make a Widow’s Kiss but it was lashing down with rain so getting mint leaves from the pot outside was not an option, says husband lol