Bitter New Yorker Cocktail

A spin on the classic Manhattan

5 minutes · 1 cocktail
  • 2 oz rye whiskey
  • 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
  • 4 dashes aromatic bitters, prefer Angostura
  • orange twist for garnish

Fill a mixing glass with ice and add rye, vermouth, and bitters. Stir until chilled and properly diluted. Double strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass and express an orange twist over the top, then dangle on the edge or just drop into the glass.

Notes

This cocktail is about moving the classic Manhattan more to the bitter side. It rewards a rye with excellent spice notes paired with a rich, complex vermouth to bring a solid balance of flavors with layers of complexity.

This works well with pretty much any rye and vermouth you've got on hand; it's very much about the rye and vermouth pairing, so play with a few to find the combination you like best.

For rye whiskey in this cocktail, I like Michter's or Redwood Empire's Emerald Giant. For vermouths, I personally favor the Spanish reds like Lustau, Lacuesta, or Casa Mariol Negra, but Cocchi di Torino or Carpano Antica does just fine here. My most frequent pairing is Emerald Giant and Lustau.

Enjoy!

What's a Bitter New Yorker?

It might be an angry, swearing Elmo who wants to be paid for pictures with kids, but in this case, it's a cocktail that's a bitter spin on the classic Manhattan. To be even more specific, this is Jim Meyer's favorite way to enjoy a Manhattan and if you're looking at this site, he's probably just ordered one (and if that's true, thanks for being an awesome bartender! ❤️ —jim)