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Home » Recipes » Drinks

Perfect Manhattan Recipe

August 21, 2015 Updated May 15, 2020 by Lisa Goldfinger 10 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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martini glass with a zig zag stem, filled with a perfect manhattan cocktail

The Perfect Manhattan is one of the all-time great cocktails, with a perfect balance of dry and sweet. Ice down your martini glasses and shake up this delicious classic!

A martini glass with a perfect manhattan and cherries and orange zest

Hi I'm Eddie, Lisa's husband. Lisa asked me to guest post about my favorite cocktail: the Perfect Manhattan.

Ironically, the first time I ever had a Manhattan was in London. I was there on business, staying at a fantastic boutique hotel called Dukes in Mayfair. My colleague and I had just finished negotiating a deal and we were celebrating with a drink.

He ordered a Manhattan and I went along for the ride. I was so impressed by the delicious, complex combination of flavors that I ordered another one and watched the bartender make it. He was a craftsman and watching him work made me appreciate the art of making a truly great cocktail.

a perfect manhattan cocktail in a martini glass with a luxardo cherry at the bottom of the glass

PERFECT MANHATTAN VS MANHATTAN

Back in the US, I ordered a number of Manhattans in different places over the next several years, but couldn’t replicate the experience from Dukes – I felt like something was missing. I wondered if perhaps the Dukes Manhattan had a special place in my heart because it was my first.

Then one night a friend told me that his favorite drink was a Perfect Manhattan. I assumed at first that he was speaking in superlative terms but this wasn’t the case. He explained that while a traditional Manhattan uses only sweet Vermouth, a Perfect Manhattan calls for half sweet and half dry Vermouth resulting in a “perfect” balance of dry and sweet. This became my new favorite drink and the one I had been searching for since Dukes.

martini glasses are chilled with ice water

I’ve been finessing and tweaking this cocktail for years and I’m now ready to share my recipe and methodology for making the perfect Perfect Manhattan.

HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT MANHATTAN

Essentially, making a Manhattan is very straightforward: rye or bourbon with vermouth and a dash of bitters served with a cherry, the peel from some citrus fruit or both. As with any drink, the difference between good and great is all about specific ingredients, proportions and technique.

I have experimented with both bourbon and rye, and I've come down on the side of bourbon. I find rye to be too harsh but clearly this is a matter of personal taste. I acknowledge in advance that purists will insist on rye and please feel free to use rye if that is your view - just let me have my bourbon. I have found that Makers Mark works best and that little is gained by going higher end. My proportions are two parts bourbon, half part dry vermouth, half part sweet vermouth and two dashes of Angostura bitters.

A metal cocktail shaker pouring a Perfect Manhattan into a martini glass

For citrus, I stumbled upon grapefruit one night when I couldn’t find an orange and have been using it ever since.

From the bartender at Dukes, I learned how to mist the top of the drink by squeezing the outside of the peel over the surface. Then I rub the inside of the peel around the rim to flavor the glass.

flavoring the rim of a martini glass by rubbing it with grapefruit peel

I am a believer that the cherry really matters. Please, if you can, avoid the type of maraschino cherries out of the local supermarket that go on the top of ice cream sundaes and burst in your mouth like water balloons. Instead, invest in the real deal – I say invest because they are not cheap.

Luxardo is a brand that you can usually find at high-end liquor stores or specialty food shops. They go for about $20 a jar. I promise it is a whole other experience.

3 Luxardo Cherries and a small cocktail fork

One final ingredient is temperature. I am obsessed with serving this drink as cold as possible. I ice down the glasses in advance and I stir (vs shake) the ingredients for “a little longer than you think” before serving. I hope you enjoy!

A Perfect Manhattan in a martini glass with Luxardo Cherries and a piece of grapefruit peel

PS I highly recommend the Dukes bar if you ever find yourself in West London looking for a great cocktail!

Here's the Perfect Manhattan Recipe. If you try this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. Lisa and I would love to know what you think.

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A recipe for how to mix up the perfect Perfect Manhattan

Perfect Manhattan Recipe


★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Eddie
  • Total Time: 5 mins
  • Yield: 1 1x
Print Recipe

Description

How to make the perfect manhattan cocktail.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 ounces Maker's Mark Bourbon - 2 parts
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth - ½ part
  • 1 ounce dry vermouth - ½ part
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • Grapefruit peel, approximately 1 inch by 2 inches (substitute orange peel for a sweeter accent)
  • 1 maraschino cherry - I recommend Luxardo

Instructions

  1. Fill martini glass with ice cubes and pour cold water to the brim. Set aside to chill for 5 minutes or so. (or chill glass in the freezer for 10 minutes)
  2. Fill shaker with 1 cup of ice cubes. Pour in bourbon, vermouths and bitters. Stir with a spoon for about 20 seconds to fully chill. Pour ice water out of the chilled martini glass, and shake excess water off. Cover martini shaker with strainer top and pour contents into the chilled glass. Add cherry.
  3. Hold grapefruit peel just above the surface of the drink, skin-side-down.Crease it in a few places to release a mist of grapefruit oil into the drink. Rub the pith side around the rim. Serve Immediately.
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Cocktail
  • Method: no cook
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: recipe for the perfect manhattan cocktail

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

 

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Drinks, Entertaining, North America, Quick and Easy, The United States Tagged With: Cocktails

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Joel S

    December 30, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    Cheers and Happy New Year from us

    Reply
    • Lisa

      December 30, 2020 at 6:28 pm

      Cheers to you and Ellen and your family. Wishing you a healthful joyous new year!

      Reply
  2. Lisa

    May 15, 2019 at 7:46 am

    I love your Perfect Manhattan Eddie! Thanks for posting. xx

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Shawn

    June 20, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    This is the best article I've read (so far) on the making of a Perfect Manhattan. I really appreciate the detail on the cherries. Bit in all of the blogs I've read, no one mentions which vermouths they use. Are there any preferred brands?

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Eddie

      June 21, 2016 at 9:16 am

      Shawn - I am so glad you asked! At the time I published this post I wouldn't have had a good answer for you but now I do. About four months ago I ordered this drink at a restaurant around Boston and it was so amazingly good I asked to speak with the bartender who came by the table. When I asked him his secret he brought out a bottle of Antica Formula sweet vermouth and poured a little into a small glass for us to taste it. It was clear how superior it was to anything else I had tried so the following weekend I went out and bought some. The price for this bottle is also superior at over $30 a bottle vs under $10 for Martini & Rossi or Stock but I promise you it is worth it - compare on your own sometime. For the dry vermouth I find myself using Dolin these days but I can't report a similar epiphany.

      Hope you enjoy!
      Ed

      Reply
  4. Klusia

    June 14, 2016 at 7:30 pm

    Thank you for this delicious recipe.
    I propose a toast to Eddie and Lisa!
    Have a great marriage and enjoy your wonderful cocktails as much as I am.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      June 14, 2016 at 9:25 pm

      Cheers to you Klusia and thank you for your wonderful toast!

      Reply
  5. Andrea

    January 29, 2016 at 7:45 am

    I've enjoyed your Manhattans for years, thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      January 29, 2016 at 9:31 am

      Cheers Andrea!!

      Reply
  6. Hill

    August 21, 2015 at 9:13 am

    Hi always enjoy Eddie's guest appearances. And Friday is the perfect day for a perfect cocktail recipe. Five o'clock is coming! Cheers!

    Reply

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