classic · stirred
Manhattan recipe
Rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, stirred until very cold.
A Manhattan is 60 ml (56.4 g) Rye Whiskey, 30 ml (31.5 g) Sweet Vermouth and 1.5 ml (1.5 g) Angostura Bitters, stirred and served in a coupe. It pours to about 91.5 ml before ice, at roughly 32.2% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodstirred
- Pour volume91.5 ml
- Strength (est.)32.2% ABV
- Time3 min
Manhattan ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye Whiskey | 60 ml | 56.4 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sweet Vermouth | 30 ml | 31.5 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Angostura Bitters | 1.5 ml | — | 0.98 | 2 dashes |
How to make a Manhattan
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Pour Rye Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters into a mixing glass, weighing each one as you go.
- Fill the mixing glass with hard, cold ice and stir for 20–30 seconds — until the outside frosts and the mix has dropped to roughly −2 °C.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
Manhattan: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Manhattan?
Roughly 32.2% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Manhattan be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Manhattan without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Manhattan is weighed.
If you like the Manhattan
Vieux Carré
New Orleans in a glass: rye, cognac, vermouth, Bénédictine, bitters.
Toronto
Rye and Fernet — bitter, herbal, perfectly balanced.
Remember the Maine
A Manhattan riff with cherry liqueur and a rinse of absinthe.
Old Fashioned
The original cocktail. Whiskey, sugar, bitters.
Boulevardier
Bourbon instead of gin. The Negroni's brooding American cousin.
Tipperary
Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth and green Chartreuse. Emerald and warming.