Manhattan

Classic cocktail which, as a strong alcoholic short drink, belongs to the group of aperitifs or before-dinner cocktails. There are several versions of the "invention". According to the most common version, it was first prepared in the 1870s at the request of Jennie Churchill (1854-1921), the mother of Winston Churchill (1874-1965), on the occasion of a banquet organised for the lawyer and US presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden (1814-1886) in the New York club "Manhattan". According to another version, however, it was already created in the 1860s by a bartender named Black in a bar on Broadway near Houston Street. The Manhattan is mixed from 4 to 5 cl Canadian (Canadian whisky), Tennessee whisky or bourbon (Kentucky whisky), 1 to 2 cl Vermouth and two dashes of Angostura (bitter liqueur).

Manhattan - 2 Gläser

Depending on the vermouth, a distinction is made between "Dry" (dry white Vermouth), "Sweet" (sweet, red Vermouth) and "Perfect" (half and half). However, there are other variations with other types of whisky (Scotch, Irish whisky), brandy or rum, as well as other flavourings such as Orange Bitter or Peychaud's Bitter instead of Angostura. It is stirred in a mixing glass on ice, strained into a cocktail glass (straight up = without ice) and garnished with an olive or maraschino cherry. Thus, the Manhattan is quite similar to the Martini co cktail, which uses gin (or vodka) as the spirit.

Picture left: by eKokki on Pixabay
Picture right: by odddogdani on Pixabay

Voices of our members

The Wine lexicon helps me to keep up to date and refresh my knowledge. Thank you for this Lexicon that will never end in terms of topicality! That's what makes it so exciting to come back often.
Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden

Welcome back!

Manhattan

Voices of our members

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

EVENTS NEAR YOU