Name: Whiskey Manhattan Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 1/2 ounces whiskey (I used Crown Royal); 1 ounce sweet vermouth; 3 dashes Angostura bitters; cocktail shaker; cocktail spoon; rocks glass; 2 maraschino cherries

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This is my mom’s marvelous whiskey Manhattan cocktail! It’s not her recipe because she used a mix, but I think of her when I make it! Delicious and classic!

A double old fashioned glass with the whiskey cocktail with two cherries in it

I have a cozy feeling when I think of this whiskey Manhattan cocktail recipe. She didn’t have a Manhattan every time she had a cocktail. Oh, no, no, this was her favorite special party treat. I remember her having this lovely cocktail many times when she had her brother and cousin over for dinner and they’d all be having a grand old time, laughing their heads off!

So, I equate the Manhattan with ‘good times’!

My mom liked this kind of classic drink. That’s not to say she wouldn’t drink some wine, but this marvelous Manhattan cocktail recipe…….ooo, la-la!

I still think of her when I hear someone order one. This one’s for you, mom!

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Whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters and the glassware and shakers in the background

How to make the whiskey Manhattan

Not all drinks require a shaker, which may or may not be obvious, but I still like to mix them in it, even if I’m only going to stir the concoction.

And you definitely stir a Manhattan.

I fill the shaker ½ way with ice.

Next, I grab my mom’s favorite whiskey – Crown Royal. She used to receive this fine whiskey as a gift from relatives. She considered it too extravagant to buy for herself, but she was only too happy to let others buy it for her. 🙂

My siblings and I used to take turns receiving the purple bags that Crown Royal whiskey is famous for being packed in, once my mother was done with them. I’ve used the bag for various containers, like holding tiles from a game we like to play, or my make-up when I used to wear it.

Back to the recipe.

I pour 2 ½ ounces of Crown Royal and pour it into the shaker.

Whiskey measured with the bottle, shaker and glass in the background

Sweet vermouth is the ticket

I pour one ounce of sweet vermouth and into the shaker it goes to join the whiskey.

Sweet vermouth measured out with the bottle in the background

Next up is 3 dashes of Angostura bitters.

Three dashes of bitters in a glass with the bottle, spoon, shaker and glassware in the background

I don’t usually put it in a measuring glass, I did it so you could see that it is the smallest amount. I usually just shake it directly from the bitter’s bottle into the shaker.

Next up I grab some maraschino cherries. My mom loved 2 cherries in her Manhattan.

Two cherries on a small white dish with the spoon, shaker and glass in the background

Now, I take my cocktail stirring spoon and stick it in the shaker and stir away.

Shushle, shushle, shushle.

(That’s what my mom used to say when she wanted you to stir something for her: “Could you please shushle the gravy?”) Not sure anyone else knows the TRUE meaning of that word. 🙂

Cocktail shaker with the cocktail in it with a spoon sticking out

I grab my trusty rocks glass and pour it in along with the ice. Some people like it straight up and in a martini glass but my mother always had it in a rocks glass with ice.

Bottoms up

I plop the cherries on top.

Overhead view of a manhattan with two red cherries in it

Time to pick up the glass and salute my mom and sip the drink!

So, I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Leave me a comment to tell me what you think!

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!