Manhattan

The cocktail that put New York on the drinking map. Rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters stirred to silky perfection. Sophisticated enough for any occasion since the 1870s.

The Manhattan is one of the oldest continuously consumed cocktails in American history, with documentation beginning in the early 1880s when it appeared in multiple independent bartending publications simultaneously. The most cited origin story attributes its creation to a banquet held at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the early 1870s, with Lady Randolph Churchill (Jennie Jerome, American-born mother of Winston Churchill) credited as the host for whom it was invented — a story that cocktail historian David Wondrich and others have cast doubt on, noting that historical records show Lady Randolph Churchill was in England and pregnant with Winston during the period of the alleged banquet. What is documented is the drink's appearance in O.H. Byron's The Modern Bartender's Guide (1884) and Harry Johnson's Bartenders' Manual (1882), establishing it as a recognized preparation by the early 1880s. The formula — rye or bourbon whiskey, Italian sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters — represents the most successful application of the spirit-vermouth-bitters stirred cocktail template in American bar history. Rye was the original base spirit, reflecting 19th-century American drinking culture's preference for rye over bourbon; the bourbon version became more common through the 20th century as rye production declined. The IBA recognizes the Manhattan as a Contemporary Classic.