The recipe
- 2 ozRye whiskey60 ml
- 1 ozAverna30 ml
- 1 dashAngostura bitters
- 1 dashOrange bitters
How to make it
- 1Stir everything with ice.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
Garnish: A cocktail cherry.
Todd Smith’s own amounts aren’t published; this is the version printed with his name. His first version reportedly used bourbon and his house cherry-coffee bitters.
The ratio
2 : 1
In parts, a Black Manhattan is 2 whiskey and 1 Averna. Change one part and you have a cousin; the closest are below.
Built the same way
Head to head
More Martinis & Manhattans
- Adonis — Sweet vermouth and sherry with orange bitters, stirred: a soft, low-alcohol aperitif named for an 1880s Broadway hit.
- Algonquin — Rye, dry vermouth and pineapple juice: a dry, fruity Manhattan cousin.
- Angel Face — Equal parts gin, apricot liqueur and Calvados: strong, fruity and spirit-forward, with an orchard character.
- Bamboo — Dry vermouth and dry sherry in equal parts with orange bitters, stirred: light, nutty and dry, at about half the strength of a Martini.
- Bijou — Gin, green Chartreuse and sweet vermouth in equal parts with orange bitters, stirred: herbal, sweet and strong.
- Bobby Burns — Scotch and sweet vermouth in equal parts with a few dashes of Bénédictine: a softer, honeyed Rob Roy named for the poet.