Hunter
Rye whiskey and cherry brandy, stirred. A 1900s two-ingredient cocktail — whiskey's spice with Cherry Heering's dark fruit, and the ancestor of every cherry Manhattan.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the rye and cherry liqueur to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe and drop in a cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Three to one is the balance; two to one is a dessert.
- A dash of Angostura or orange bitters is not in the old books but helps.
- Serve on a big rock with a lemon twist for a longer, drier version.
Common mistakes
- Kirsch, which is a dry eau-de-vie, not the sweet liqueur the drink wants.
- Equal parts.
- Shaking.
A few good questions.
What does a Hunter taste like?
Spicy rye with dark cherry sweetness — like a Manhattan with cherry in place of vermouth.
What is cherry brandy here?
A cherry liqueur such as Cherry Heering, not kirsch.
Bourbon or rye?
Rye; its spice balances the sweet liqueur. Bourbon makes it softer and sweeter.
How old is it?
Early 1900s; it is in Straub's 1914 Drinks and the Savoy.
Variations
- Manhattan — Rye, sweet vermouth and bitters.
- Blood and Sand — Scotch, cherry liqueur, vermouth and orange.
- Remember the Maine — Rye, vermouth, cherry liqueur and absinthe.
- Kentucky Colonel — Bourbon and Bénédictine.
Where it comes from
c. 1900s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Hunter appears in American bar books of the early 1900s — Jacques Straub’s 1914 Drinks and others — as rye whiskey with a smaller measure of cherry brandy, stirred, and it has the simplicity of the pre-Prohibition two-ingredient drinks like the Stinger and the Rusty Nail’s forebears. The cherry brandy meant a liqueur, Cherry Heering or similar, not a kirsch, and the usual proportion is three to one. The name is unexplained; it may be a hunting-season drink, warming and sweet. It fell out of the books after Repeal and returned with the rye revival, where it serves as a Manhattan with the vermouth swapped for cherry — a rich, dark, easy drink for a cold night.
Sources
- Jacques Straub, Drinks, 1914 (book)
- Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Hunter Cocktail, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.8 US standard drinks at an estimated 32.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.