Reverse Manhattan
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 21.1% ABV ∙
A Reverse Manhattan flips the classic ratio, stirring mostly rosso vermouth with a smaller measure of rye whiskey and Angostura bitters. Vermouth's grape-sweet, herbal depth leads, with the rye adding warmth underneath and a bittersweet, gently spiced finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Rosso vermouth 60 mlRye whiskey 30 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Fine-strain to keep any ice shards or herbal sediment from the vermouth out of the glass for a clean, silky pour.
- Pre-chill the coupe before stirring so the drink stays cold despite the shorter, lower-proof pour.
- Stir gently but fully to dilute and chill the large vermouth volume without over-diluting the smaller rye portion.
History
The Reverse Manhattan has no single credited inventor; it is a name later applied to the vermouth-forward ratio that appeared in some of the earliest printed Manhattan recipes, before the drink standardized into its now-familiar whiskey-forward form. George J. Kappeler's 1895 bar manual, Modern American Drinks, called for equal parts Italian vermouth and whiskey, a build far closer to today's "reverse" version than to the roughly two-to-one whiskey ratio most bars now pour. Many modern bartenders and writers have accordingly described the Reverse Manhattan as arguably the more historically faithful construction, even as the standard Manhattan overtook it in popularity through the 20th century.
The Manhattan itself is generally traced to New York City bars of the 1870s or 1880s, though its exact origin is disputed among several claimants, including a Manhattan Club creation story and rival tales crediting different bartenders. The Reverse Manhattan simply inverts that drink's whiskey-to-vermouth ratio, making sweet vermouth the dominant spirit rather than the accent, which produces a lighter, less boozy variation on the same combination of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters.
FAQ
What is a Reverse Manhattan?
A Reverse Manhattan is a stirred cocktail that inverts the classic Manhattan's ratio, using a larger measure of rosso vermouth against a smaller pour of rye whiskey, with Angostura bitters. It is stirred with ice, fine-strained into a chilled glass, and finished with a maraschino cherry, landing lighter and more aperitif-like than the whiskey-forward original.
What is the difference between a Manhattan and a Perfect Manhattan?
A Perfect Manhattan splits the vermouth between sweet and dry instead of using sweet vermouth alone, giving a drier, less sugary result. A Reverse Manhattan is a separate variation still using only rosso (sweet) vermouth, but in a much larger proportion than the whiskey, unlike either the classic or the Perfect version.
What's the difference between a Manhattan and a Rob Roy?
A Rob Roy is a Manhattan made with Scotch whisky instead of rye or bourbon, keeping the same sweet vermouth and bitters structure. The Reverse Manhattan differs from both by keeping rye but reversing the ratio, so vermouth outweighs the spirit rather than the other way around.
