Black Manhattan
ClassicRye and Amaro Averna, stirred dark. The Manhattan with amaro where the vermouth used to be.
Rich and bittersweet, rye's spice deepened by Averna's dark caramel and orange-peel bitterness into something heavier and more brooding than a classic Manhattan.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Rye Whiskey
- 1 oz Averna Amaro
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- 1 dash Orange Bitters
- Maraschino cherry · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.
- 2
Stir until well chilled.
- 3
Strain into a chilled coupe.
- 4
Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
The Story
Bartender Todd Smith invented the Black Manhattan in 2005 while working at San Francisco's Bourbon & Branch, making one change to the original template: swapping the Manhattan's sweet vermouth for Amaro Averna in equal proportion. It's become one of the most-copied modern riffs on the Manhattan precisely because the change is so small and the result so different — richer, darker, and noticeably more bitter than the drink it's built from.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
