# your ingredient of choice in a Manhattan...



## TommyDawg (Jan 6, 2008)

What is your choice of liquor in a Manhattan?
Rye
Bourbon
Other (blends, etc)

Thanks,
Tom


----------



## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

Bourbon, personally. I don't really have a favorite, but am partial to Old Forester and Old Fitzgerald. Which vermouth do you use? I got a bottle of Punt e Mes last month and it was a pleasant surprise.


----------



## TommyDawg (Jan 6, 2008)

I'm really not much of a mixologist myself, but enjoy more when I am out in a restaurant. I have always requested bourbon, after one time not stating specifically, and the bar made it with I believe Crown or some other blended whiskey (which I did not enjoy). I have heard that Rye is becoming more popular, and some say that is the traditional manner, but I have not tried it yet. The vermouth obviously can change the taste quite a bit, its just that I am really not expert enough with any types of vermouth to know the difference. Thanks Doghouse.


----------



## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

Tommy, Rye is the "traditional" whiskey in a Manhattan, but the few that I have had with rye haven't impressed me much. I would like to try some of those new, craft ryes, but haven't haven't had the chance yet/talked myself into buying a bottle. It's probably best that you keep your cocktail drinking to when you go out. It can become a costly hobby.


----------



## DukeGrad (Dec 28, 2003)

Gentlemen

4 fingerbreaths rye whiskey, either Jim Beam, or Wild Turkey, on ice.
1 drop of red vermouth. Actually I just wave the bottle over my drink. 2 maraschino cherries.
Martini Rossi for the vermouth, do not have a favorite here, use so littgle of it. The cherries is all you need to add!

Best Manhattan I have had, was not on in NYC. Actually the Oak room at the Drake Hotel in Chicago makes the best Manhattans!

Nice day my friend


----------



## TommyDawg (Jan 6, 2008)

DukeGrad said:


> Gentlemen
> 
> 4 fingerbreaths rye whiskey, either Jim Beam, or Wild Turkey, on ice.
> 1 drop of red vermouth. Actually I just wave the bottle over my drink. 2 maraschino cherries.
> ...


 Awesome. Thanks Jimmy. I'll have to try that particular recipe. 
Tom


----------



## TommyDawg (Jan 6, 2008)

DoghouseReilly said:


> Tommy, Rye is the "traditional" whiskey in a Manhattan, but the few that I have had with rye haven't impressed me much. I would like to try some of those new, craft ryes, but haven't haven't had the chance yet/talked myself into buying a bottle. It's probably best that you keep your cocktail drinking to when you go out. It can become a costly hobby.


 Got a nice Christmas present Doghouse. Bottle of "Whistle Pig" Straight Rye Whiskey. 100% Rye, 100 Proof. 10 yr old. Hand bottled in Vermont. Receiving all kinds of good kudos. But the best kudo for me is that I really like this stuff. Its got some flavor to it. Great on the rocks, or snifter, or my yet to try Manhattan. Really good stuff. Oh, I dont presume to know other people's budget for these things, but for me, its above my normal price point for a bottle. I got it as a gift, but I think its around $65 retail. I have not seen it for sure, but think I saw that price online somewhere. 
Tom


----------



## JerseyJohn (Oct 26, 2007)

I checked rye, but I usually use a Canadian blended whiskey like Seagram's VO, which is rye-like. Light, mild-flavored whiskey is my choice for Manhattans. I once made one with Jack Daniels, and that was a mistake I won't repeat. There's a variation that used rye, a bitter-flavored Italian sweet vermouth called "Punt e Mes", and a half ounce of Benedictine. I use regular Stock sweet vermouth and a splash of Fernet Branca, a bitter liquor, to imitate the Punt e Mes.


----------



## Gromson (Oct 11, 2009)

Rye. 

I'm a big bourbon fan. I typically have 4-6 different bottles open at any given moment. Lately, I've been fond of a relatively inexpensive rye. Bulleit Rye is only around $25 a bottle and I find it quite pleasant. I highly recommend it and I think it's one of the most approachable ryes around.


----------



## DoghouseReilly (Jul 25, 2010)

TommyDawg said:


> Got a nice Christmas present Doghouse. Bottle of "Whistle Pig" Straight Rye Whiskey. 100% Rye, 100 Proof. 10 yr old. Hand bottled in Vermont. Receiving all kinds of good kudos. But the best kudo for me is that I really like this stuff. Its got some flavor to it. Great on the rocks, or snifter, or my yet to try Manhattan. Really good stuff. Oh, I dont presume to know other people's budget for these things, but for me, its above my normal price point for a bottle. I got it as a gift, but I think its around $65 retail. I have not seen it for sure, but think I saw that price online somewhere.
> Tom


Tommy, it sounds like a great gift. I have heard of it, but haven't tried it yet. I definitely will now. $65 is a little more than I like to spend on rye, but that's what birthdays and spouses are for.  For something a little cheaper, try Old Overholt. At 90 proof, its a heck of a value and one of my favorite whiskeys.


----------



## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

In Wisconsin, the choice is brandy more than anything more traditional. Korbel is a good choice for the brandy while Martini and Rossi is the choice for the sweet vermouth.


----------



## NathanielD (Oct 18, 2012)

Being from Wisconsin myself I would have to agree with that. However I prefer my Manhattans made with bourbon. Bulleit is my current favorite. 

As an aside from main topic but in response to FiscalDean, it is always fun in Chicago ordering an old fashioned "Wisconsin style."


----------



## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

NathanielD said:


> Being from Wisconsin myself I would have to agree with that. However I prefer my Manhattans made with bourbon. Bulleit is my current favorite.
> 
> As an aside from main topic but in response to FiscalDean, it is always fun in Chicago ordering an old fashioned "Wisconsin style."


I like to mix it up a bit, alternating between bourban and brandy. There are times when I enjoy a Rob Roy or as some might say a scotch Manhatten.


----------



## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

How about Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort, would they work? I've got no Jim Beam at home


----------



## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

TommyDawg said:


> Got a nice Christmas present Doghouse. Bottle of "Whistle Pig" Straight Rye Whiskey. 100% Rye, 100 Proof. 10 yr old. Hand bottled in Vermont. Receiving all kinds of good kudos. But the best kudo for me is that I really like this stuff. Its got some flavor to it. Great on the rocks, or snifter, or my yet to try Manhattan. Really good stuff. Oh, I dont presume to know other people's budget for these things, but for me, its above my normal price point for a bottle. I got it as a gift, but I think its around $65 retail. I have not seen it for sure, but think I saw that price online somewhere.
> Tom


That is good, too good to mix!!


----------



## FiscalDean (Dec 10, 2011)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> How about Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort, would they work? I've got no Jim Beam at home


Absolutely


----------



## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

If one chooses to be Trad in their choice of clothing, wouldn't they also be traditional regarding the ingredients preferred in their Manhattans? Stick with Rye!


----------



## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Rye in Manhattans and Old Fashioneds, it's the most traditional for each. I've used Jim Beam Rye (yellow label) most often, but Bulleit Rye is also good (not a fan of their bourbon though, I don't really understand the popularity). If I'm using bourbon to mix, no joke, Ezra Brooks black label (90 proof) is pretty dang decent- certainly better than Jim Beam white label. Buffalo Trace is one of my favorite bourbons though, on the rocks or mixed.


----------



## Adventure Wolf (Feb 26, 2014)

Bourbon, my choice is always bourbon.


----------



## shadoman (Jun 8, 2014)

FiscalDean said:


> In Wisconsin, the choice is brandy more than anything more traditional.





NathanielD said:


> Being from Wisconsin myself I would have to agree with that.
> 
> ... it is always fun in Chicago ordering an old fashioned *"Wisconsin style."*


Having a Best Friend who worked in the greater Milwaukee area as a Bartender, I generally order them with Brandy *IF* i am above the Great Lakes. However, I've found it much easier to ask for a "Brandy Old-Fashioned, Sweet" as referring to it as "Wisconsin Style" just rewarded me with looks of idiocy...


----------



## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Thought a picture of the Manhattan I'm currently enjoying would be appropriate here:









Contrary to to my vote for Rye in a Manhattan, since I don't currently have any rye available, this one is made with bourbon. For those interested, my Manhattan is:

2oz of Ezra Brooks (black label)
1/2 oz Martini Rossi "Rosso" vermouth
a dash of Fee Brothers bitters
...stirred and strained into a chilled cocktail glass, with the oil from an orange rind misted over the surface, rubbed on the rim, and dropped in.


----------



## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> How about Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort, would they work? I've got no Jim Beam at home


Whether Jack would make a good Manhattan is a matter of taste. Like the traditional rye it is less sweet than (some pedants would say "other") bourbons. Southern Comfort is a liqueur, not a whiskey of any sort. If one substitutes this for a whiskey the result most certainly would not be a Manhattan. But if you like this new (at least to me) cocktail, presumably you can name it!


----------



## trufunk (Jul 23, 2015)

Old Forrester Signature 100 proof very good neat or in a Manhattan


----------

