The Manhattan in Bloom

Ingredients

• 55 ml Wandering Rye Whisky
• 25 ml Dolin Blanc vermouth
• 15 ml sweet vermouth (Dolin Rouge)
• 10 ml cherry liqueur
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters

Method

Stir. Serve in a Coupe. Garnish with Cherry + orange twist.

The story

The Manhattan is the rye whisky's signature cocktail — probably invented in the 1870s, possibly at the Manhattan Club in New York City, definitely a drink that rewards the quality of its rye. Remy Savage, who built Low & No and Little Red Door in Paris around structural minimalism, argues that the Manhattan is the cocktail world's equivalent of a well-cut suit: the execution reveals everything. The Spring Manhattan swaps classic sweet vermouth for a floral vermouth (Dolin Blanc rather than Rouge) and adds a measure of cherry liqueur to meet Wandering Rye's corn sweetness. It's lighter than a classic Manhattan, still stirred with the same precision, and the spring note comes from the vermouth's floral character rather than any aggressive add-in. The cherry garnish is an honest reflection of what the glass contains.

Tasting note

Lighter in colour than a classic Manhattan — honey-amber rather than mahogany. The nose is floral vermouth and orange; the palate is rye spice meeting corn sweetness with cherry weaving through. A Manhattan that's opened its windows.