Rye whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters stirred over ice and strained into a chilled coupe with a brandied cherry. The drink that gave the borough its name in the late 1800s; canonical NYC bar order.
The Manhattan emerged at New York bars in the 1870s and 1880s, with a Manhattan Club origin story long attached to a Lady Randolph Churchill banquet (the 'Winston's mother' tale that was debunked when historians showed Lady Churchill was in England that month). The classic 2:1 rye-to-sweet-vermouth ratio with Angostura crystallised by the 1900s and the cocktail was codified in Jerry Thomas's later bartender manuals. Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle, Death & Co and Attaboy run defensible classical versions; the brandied cherry (not maraschino) is the modern bartender's standard.
2 editor picks for Manhattan in New York City, ranked by editorial score. All New York City signature dishes · Manhattan across every city.
Katz's Delicatessen ★ 4.9
lower-east-side · 205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
Katz's on East Houston has cured, smoked and hand-sliced pastrami in New York City since 1888. The corner-of-the-counter sandwich is the deli's whole point.
Atomix ★ 4.9
flatiron · 104 East 30th Street, New York, NY 10016
Chef Junghyun Park's 14-seat counter in NoMad runs the most ambitious Korean tasting menu in New York City. Two Michelin stars, ten courses, $385 set price.