Black Manhattan
A Manhattan with amaro in place of the sweet vermouth. Darker, more bitter, and the easiest way to understand what amaro does.
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.
Add the rye, Averna and bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25-30 seconds.
Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish with a brandied cherry.
A thoughtful finish
- Rye rather than bourbon. Averna is already sweet, and rye's dryness and spice are what keep the drink from tipping into dessert.
- A 2:1 ratio is the standard, but if your Averna is a sweet one, try 2.5:0.75 before you decide you dislike the drink.
- The bitters are optional in the original but worth adding — a dash of orange bitters lifts the whole thing.
Common mistakes
- Substituting a different amaro without adjusting. Fernet in this slot is overwhelming; Nonino is much lighter. Averna is what the drink was built on.
- Using bourbon and the full ounce of Averna, which makes it noticeably cloying.
- Shaking. Spirit-forward and stirred, like any Manhattan.
A few good questions.
What amaro should I use?
Averna is the original and the reference. Ramazzotti is the closest substitute. Montenegro or Nonino make a lighter, more orange-forward drink; Fernet makes something else entirely.
How is it different from a Manhattan?
The sweet vermouth is replaced by amaro. It is darker, more bitter, slightly sweeter and noticeably heavier, with a long bitter-root finish vermouth does not give.
Can I use bourbon?
Yes, and plenty of bars do. It makes a rounder, sweeter drink — pull the Averna back to three-quarters of an ounce if you go that way.
Is it related to the Boulevardier?
Only loosely. Both put a bitter Italian liqueur against American whiskey, but the Boulevardier keeps the vermouth and uses Campari, which is far more bitter and far less sweet.
Variations
- Manhattan — Sweet vermouth instead of amaro.
- Boulevardier — Campari and sweet vermouth with bourbon.
- Paper Plane — Bourbon, amaro, Aperol and lemon.
- Vieux Carré — Rye and cognac with vermouth and Bénédictine.
Where it comes from
2005 · San Francisco, California · Todd Smith · Bourbon & Branch
Todd Smith created it at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco in 2005, swapping the sweet vermouth of a Manhattan for Amaro Averna. The substitution sounds minor and is not: Averna is sweeter and considerably more bitter than vermouth, with a cola-and-burnt-caramel register, so the drink gains weight and a long bitter finish. It arrived during the same San Francisco moment that made Fernet an industry handshake, and it has become the standard demonstration of amaro in a classic template.
Sources
- Todd Smith / Bourbon & Branch, San Francisco, 2005 (bartender attribution)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
- Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, 2014 (book)
Strength. About 2.03 US standard drinks at an estimated 33.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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