Perfect Brandy Manhattan
This Perfect Brandy Manhattan recipe is a variation of one the most classic cocktails. It combines the rich and smooth taste of brandy with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.
There are few rights and wrongs when it comes to what you like in food and drink. You might like a traditional Manhattan. You might like it dry, like in this Peanut Butter Whiskey Manhattan. But I promise, once you try a Manhattan with brandy, you’ll prefer a Perfect Manhattan.
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Ingredients
Brandy
Brandy is a distilled liquor made from grapes or other fruit like apples (e.g. Calvados) or cherries. Armagnac, grappa, and pisco are all brandies.
Cognacs like Courvoisier are the brandies I use for classic brandy cocktails. Like with Champagne or Prosecco, brandy can only be called Cognac if it’s made from specific grape varietals from a specific region in France.
Other brandy classifications vary based on how long its aged. It’s unfortunately a bit complicated as the classification differs for each kind of brandy.
But the key thing to know about making a Manhattan with brandy is that brandy is sweeter than whiskey. That’s why a Perfect Brandy Manhattan is a better balanced cocktail.
Vermouth
The Old Fashioned and Manhattan are two closely related cocktails. An Old Fashioned has sugar or a simple syrup as a sweetener. In the classic Manhattan, vermouth replaces the sugar.
The vermouth in a classic Manhattan is red or sweet vermouth, unlike the classic martini which has dry vermouth. The absence of vermouth makes cocktails like an espresso martini and the pornstar martini not true martinis.
The classic Manhattan contains 2 ounces of rye or bourbon whiskey, 1 ounce of sweet vermouth, and a dash of bitters. It’s garnished with a maraschino cherry.
In a dry Manhattan, 1 ounce of dry vermouth replaces the sweet vermouth. Finally, this “perfect” Manhattan recipe is in between with a half ounce of sweet and a half ounce of dry vermouth.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations and substitutions
- Play with different brandies and compare to see how the taste of your Manhattan varies.
- Try orange bitters or another type of bitters to see how the cocktail changes.
Recipe tips and tricks
Brandy Manhattan taste test
The pic below shows, from left to right, a Dry Brandy Manhattan, Perfect Brandy Manhattan, and the classic Manhattan. They are different colors because the sweet vermouth is a red-brown color.
Shaken or stirred
Tip from the wise quacker: the general rule of thumb is that you should shake cocktails with juice and stir cocktails that are all alcohol.
To make your Manhattan, fill a cocktail shaker with about a half cup of ice. Add the brandy, vermouth, and Angostura bitters and stir for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass and garnish with a maraschino or Luxardo cherry. You can also enjoy your Brandy Manhattan on the rocks, if you prefer.
Cocktail FAQs
If you’re a brandy lover, the Brandy Alexander or the sidecar are two of the most popular brandy cocktails. Try next my Cherry Bakewell cocktail, which is a sidecar-style cocktail made with brandy, amaretto, and cherry liqueur.
Vermouth is a fortified wine, so it can last longer than other wines. Store your vermouth in the refrigerator, and it will still be delicious for one to two months after opening.
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Love cocktails and want to explore more? Read all about classic cocktails and bartender basics, check out my list of essential bar tools for cocktails at home, and join this year’s 52 weeks of cocktails challenge!
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Recipe
Perfect Brandy Manhattan
Equipment
- 1 Cocktail shaker Or tall cup for stirring
- 1 Jigger Or other liquid measure
Ingredients
- 2 ounces brandy
- ½ ounce dry vermouth
- ½ ounce sweet vermouth
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- maraschino cherry for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the brandy, the dry vermouth and sweet vermouth, and dash of bitters and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.2 ounces brandy, ½ ounce dry vermouth, ½ ounce sweet vermouth, 1 dash Angostura bitters
- Strain into a coupe or martini glass and garnish with the cocktail cherry.maraschino cherry
Notes
Nutrition
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