Black Manhattan cocktail recipe

The Black Manhattan retains all the elegance of the original Manhattan cocktail, but forgoes sweet vermouth in place of the bitter digestif amaro, which increases its depth and complexity. There are many takes on the Manhattan, but this may well be one of our favourites, and it also creates the perfect nightcap.

While there’s no doubt that the Black Manhattan was invented by mixologist Todd Smith in 2005, the origins of the classic Manhattan are a little murkier. History places it somewhere between 1874 and 1884, but there’s disagreement on who exactly came up with the delicious recipe. The location, of course, was New York City, with the name being an ode to NYC’s famous main island.

Flavour wise, the Black Manhattan is similar to the traditional Manhattan, and it is super smooth on the front palate with notes of cherry and rye. The amaro adds a herbal, spiced element thanks to its many botanicals. This also increases the cocktail’s bitterness, while still keeping enough sweetness for it to go down a treat. If that all sounds like it meets your sort of criteria for a great drink, the Black Manhattan is definitely the cocktail for you.

Amaro is a category of herbal liqueurs hailing from Italy and today, there are many to choose from. The word means ‘bitter’, and that’s really the only characteristic that ties them all together: they are all different in flavour, depending on the herbs, roots, flowers and peels the producer uses. They were first created by medieval monks as medicinal tonics, said to have settled the stomach and kick-start digestion. Because of this, they are often served after dinner as a digestif, but also make an excellent cocktail ingredient. In fact, switching different amari into lots of your favourite cocktails is a great way to start playing around with flavours.

When it comes to choosing an amaro for your Black Manhattan, the options are endless. If you’re just starting to dabble in this Italian liqueur, you could try Amaro Montenegro, which is one of the milder styles while still providing the bitter edge this cocktail calls. If you’re keen to step things up on the amaro front, Averna is a bold style, while Cynar is an artichoke-based amaro that brings hints of licorice and espresso.

When it comes to your whiskey, rye is originally called for in the recipe, but you could also substitute a bourbon, which will lend a smoothness to the cocktail that might appeal more to certain palates.