Thanks for buying The Manhattan Box! Released to celebrate 1 year of TASTE cocktails by revisiting our first ever box, but upgrading it with new, premium ingredients. This page contains all the recipes, tips and information you need to make 5-6 great Manhattan cocktails.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can join now for just £24. If you just want to try this kit on its own, you can buy one through our shop.
With this box you can make the following:
- The Sweet Manhattan
- The Perfect Manhattan
- The Dry Manhattan
And enough left to taste some ingredients neat, or try other recipes from below.
The kit features McAffee’s No 8 Benchmark Bourbon, and the amazingly delicious vermouths Noilly Prat Extra Dry and Punt e Mes.
As well as the contents of the box, you will need:
- A Lemon
- Martini glasses or coupes
- a mixologist kit
Let’s get started!
The Origin of the Manhattan?
Like so many cocktails, the origins of the Manhattan are lost in time. The Democrat newspaper remarked in 1882 that, “It is but a short time ago that a mixture of whiskey, vermouth and bitters came into vogue” and observed that it had been known as a Turf Club cocktail, a Jockey Club cocktail and a Manhattan cocktail.
A popular story was that the drink was created for Lady Randolph Churchill at the Manhattan Club
in New York in 1874, although recently it was pointed out that at that time, she was actually in England giving birth to Winston!
And, as neither the name nor the ingredients are so unusual as to prevent inadvertent duplication, the mystery is likely to remain unsolved. We do know that a Manhattan was traditionally made with Rye whisky, but for most of it’s history was made with bourbon, which was more widely available.
The Recipes
Mixing a Manhattan
All the recipes below are mixed in the same way, but the slight difference in ingredients makes for 3 very different drinks. Try each one, then make more of your favourite!
- Chill a martini glass or coupe in the freezer or by packing the glass with ice.
- Add all the ingredients to a shaker or mixing glass.
- Half-fill with cubed ice.
- Stir with a bar spoon for 30-45 seconds.
- Fine-strain into the glass
- Garnish and serve.
The Dry Manhattan
- 2½ shots or 50ml Bourbon or Rye Whisky
- 1 shot or 20ml Dry Vermouth
- 2-3 dashed Angostura Bitters
- garnish with a lemon peel
The Sweet Manhattan
- 2½ shots or 50ml Bourbon or Rye Whisky
- 1 shot or 20ml Sweet Red Vermouth
- splash (2-3ml) maraschino syrup (from the jar)
- 2-3 dashed Angostura Bitters
- garnish with a maraschino cherry
The Perfect Manhattan
- 2½ shots or 50ml Bourbon or Rye Whisky
- ½ shot or 10ml Dry Vermouth
- ½ shot or 10ml Sweet Red Vermouth
- 2-3 dashed Angostura Bitters
- garnish with a lemon peel or a cherry
You can also serve a Manhattan “on the rocks” (over ice in an old fashioned glass or tumbler) if you prefer, but be aware that it will dilute over time if you do. If you find your first one a bit strong, make your next on the rocks and leave it for a minute or two before drinking.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your cocktails this month! Subscribe now to guarantee yourself a new box every month, access to all our old recipes, and exclusive discounts and deals!