The Manhattan is traditionally made with bourbon or rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters.
A classic Manhattan is stirred with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass, often with a cherry garnish. Rye whiskey gives the drink a spicier profile, while bourbon usually makes it rounder and sweeter. Sweet vermouth supplies herbal richness, and bitters add aromatic complexity.
The cocktail is associated with New York and is commonly dated to the late nineteenth century. A famous story places its creation at a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome, later Lady Randolph Churchill, at Manhattan’s Grand Hotel in 1874, but historians have questioned the story because she may have been in England at the time.
The Manhattan is often confused with the Rob Roy, which uses Scotch whisky instead of American or Canadian whiskey. The Boulevardier is another close relative, replacing part of the vermouth structure with Campari. Those distinctions make the whiskey type and vermouth pairing important identifiers.