



GLASS



Cocktail glass





PREPARATION



Start by putting a decent quantity of ice cubes in a mixing glass. You'll need large ice cubes for this, to avoid the cocktail getting watery as you stir it. Pour the whiskey and amaro into the mixing glass with a dash of bitters. Take a cocktail glass from the freezer. Drop one maraschino cherry in the cocktail glass, then strain the contents of the mixing glass into it.





NOTES



There are a million ways to make a Manhattan. The cocktail was originally made with rye whiskey, which was replaced with Canadian whisky during the prohibition years, due to the lack of availability. Some bartenders like to stir it, others like to shake it. Most, however, will use some form of whiskey, Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica being a favourite) and Angostura bitters.



To our taste, whiskey and vermouth have too many flavours that overlap each other, all hitting the palate at the same time. We like the experience to be a little more dynamic, with a twist in the aftertaste, which is why I sometimes replace the vermouth with something a little deeper: amaro. This is called a Black Manhattan.



Here, there are a few options, since Italy has so many different amari. We've used Averna, an amaro from Sicily that will give you a very deep and satisfying range of flavours. Averna's main competitors in Italy are Montenegro from Bologna and Ramazzotti from Milan. The latter is very interesting, since it is made using more citrus peels. If you go for Ramazzotti, we recommend replacing the cherry with a long slice of lemon, and using orange bitters instead of Angostura.



