The Manhattan is a time-worn classic, and over all those years it's become the inspiration for generations of riffs, twists, and re-imaginings. Read on for a selection of our favorites!

  • Rob Roy cocktail with scotch and sweet vermouth

    Rob Roy

  • Emerald cocktail with Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and Angostura bitters

    Emerald

  • Blackthorne cocktail with Irish whiskey, sweet vermouth, aromatic bitters, and absinthe

    Blackthorne

  • Metropolitan cocktail with brandy, sweet vermouth, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters

    Metropolitan

  • French Manhattan cocktail with cognac, sweet vermouth, orange curaçao, and orange bitters

    French Manhattan

  • Harvard cocktail with Cognac, sweet vermouth, aromatic bitters, and sparkling water

    Harvard

  • Saratoga cocktail, with rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters

    Saratoga

  • Hernandez cocktail with vanilla liqueur, sweet vermouth, and bitters

    Hernandez

  • Dry Manhattan cocktail with rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and aromatic bitters

    Dry Manhattan

  • Manhattan Transfer cocktail with rye whiskey, dry vermouth, amaro, and orange bitters

    Manhattan Transfer

  • Black Manhattan cocktail with rye whiskey, Averna, Angostura bitters, and orange bitters

    Black Manhattan

  • Walnut Manhattan cocktail with bourbon, sweet vermouth, walnut liqueur, and aromatic bitters

    Walnut Manhattan

  • Red Hook cocktail with rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and maraschino liqueur

    Red Hook

  • Deadly Sin cocktail with bourbon and maraschino

    Deadly Sin

  • Reverse Manhattan with sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, and bitters

    Reverse Manhattan

  • Inside Out cocktail with sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, Branca Menta, and absinthe

    Inside Out

  • Session Manhattan with sweet vermouth, rye whiskey, amontillado sherry, dry vermouth, and aromatic bitters

    Session Manhattan

  • Red Moon Over Manhattan cocktail with wine, bourbon, simple syrup and orange peel

    Red Moon Over Manhattan

  • Manhattan East cocktail with bourbon, ginger liqueur, sake, and Peychaud's bitters

    Manhattan East

  • Destroyer cocktail with tequila, Dubonnet, blood orange liqueur, mole bitters, and peel of lime and blood orange

    Destroyer

  • Fender Bender spirit-forward cocktail with bourbon, Cynar, sweet vermouth, and maple syrup

    Fender Bender

  • Met Manhattan cocktail with bourbon, orange curaçao, butterscotch liqueur, and orange bitters

    Met Manhattan

  • The Manhattan's base template is so enduring, it's no wonder it's spawned so many diverse reinterpretations. To keep things organized, we've split them up into some broad categories:

    Spirit swaps

    Changing up the base spirit in a drink is a wonderful way to understand the proportions of the other ingredients, and the Manhattan makes for the perfect canvas for these experiments. A Manhattan calls for either bourbon or rye as its base – swap it out for scotch and you've got a Rob Roy. Use Irish whiskey for an Emerald – and a touch of absinthe makes that a Blackthorne. A brandy or cognac base gets you a Metropolitan, and a bit of orange liqueur and orange bitters makes it a French Manhattan, or a splash of soda water for a Harvard. Can't pick just one base? Split it between rye and cognac for a delicious Saratoga. And way out in left field, you'll see the Hernandez, which takes a vanilla liqueur like Tuaca or Navan for its base.

    Three Manhattan-type cocktails and a jar of cherries

    Vermouth swaps

    A Manhattan usually takes sweet vermouth – but change it for dry vermouth to get a Dry Manhattan, or blanc vermouth for a Manhattan Bianco. The Manhattan Transfer adds amaro to its dry vermouth, for the look of the original but a more complex flavor. The Black Manhattan does away with the vermouth completely, using rich herbal amaro in its place. Split the vermouth with walnut liqueur for a nutty Walnut Manhattan, or with maraschino for a cherry-tinged Red Hook – and a dash of orange bitters makes it a Deadly Sin.

    Lower-proof

    A clever trick is to simply flip the proportions of the original for a vermouth-forward Reverse Manhattan. Add a little seasoning in the form of Fernet Branca and absinthe, and you've got an Inside Out. The Session Manhattan leans into the vermouth, making use of both sweet and dry and adding dry sherry to make up for the reduced measure of rye whiskey. Red Moon Over Manhattan uses wine instead of vermouth, and turns it into the base of the drink with just a bit of bourbon for flavor.

    Two distant relatives of the Manhattan cocktail

    Distant cousins

    The Manhattan East brings both ginger and sake to the party, producing a drink that is nothing like the original recipe, yet possessing a similar balance and intrigue. The Destroyer is a veritable kitchen sink of substitutions, but if you squint you can see the skeletal outline of a Manhattan among the chocolate and blood orange. The Fender Bender drinks like a Manhattan, despite the addition of amaro and maple simple. Finally, there's the Manhattan-in-name-only, the Met Manhattan, which we include only out of fondness for its cheeky name and ridiculous ingredient (but it's still a great drink, even if it's the farthest thing from a Manhattan!)