A Perfect Manhattan is a variation of the traditional Manhattan. The major difference being in the proportion of the ingredients and the types of vermouth used. A traditional Manhattan drink normally has a 2 to 1 or even a 3 to 1 ratio of whiskey to the sweet vermouth. In a perfect Manhattan, an equal proportion of both the dry and the sweet vermouth is used.
The dry vermouth in the drink helps to cut into the sweetness of red vermouth which makes the drink much less sweeter than the traditional.
The name of the drink, Perfect Manhattan, does indeed refer to the proportions of the ingredients in this recipe. The vermouth are in perfect (or equal) proportion, in that it is not skewed towards one of them.
Ingredients
- 2 shots of Rye Whiskey
- 1 shot of Sweet Vermouth
- 1 shot od Dry Vermouth
- Couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters
- A Maraschino cherry to garnish
Preparation/Recipe
- Add ice cubes into a martini shaker
- Add 2 shots of the Rye Whiskey into the shaker
- Add a shot of the Sweet Vermouth into the shaker
- Add a shot of the Dry Vermouth into the shaker
- Shake the contents of the shaker to mix well
- Add couple of dashes of the Angostura bitters into a chilled martini glass
- Swirl the bitters around the glass to evenly coat the glass
- Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass
- Garnish the drink with a maraschino cherry
Variations
Most variations of the Manhattan involves varying the base spirit with another, such as Brandy, Rum, Tequila etc. Some of the notable variations are:
Manhattan: The traditional Manhattan with a 2 to 1 ratio of Whiskey to sweet vermouth.
Brandy Manhattan: Use Brandy as the base liquor instead of the Rye Whiskey
Dry Manhattan: It uses the dry vermouth instead of the sweet vermouth.
Tips
- You can also use Bourbon Whiskey instead of the Rye Whiskey
- You may use different bitters instead of the Angostura, such as Peychaud’s.
- Different types of bitter provides a different taste to the drink. So, be sure to experiment with different bitters.