The Black Manhattan, and why amaro tastes like autumn
Swap sweet vermouth for a dark Italian amaro and the Manhattan turns deeper and more bittersweet. The story behind the drink, and how to stir it right.
When the evenings close in at five o'clock, I want a drink that tastes of the season: dark, spiced, a little bitter, warming. The Black Manhattan is exactly that. It takes the classic Manhattan, rye whiskey with sweet vermouth and bitters, and replaces the vermouth with an Italian amaro. The result is deeper, rounder and more bittersweet, with notes of orange peel, caramel and herbs.
It is also proof that a modern drink can become a classic quickly. Bartender Todd Smith created it in 2005 at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco, using Averna, the Sicilian amaro. Within a few years it was on menus all over the world.
What amaro is, and why it suits autumn
Amaro means bitter in Italian. Amari are herbal liqueurs made by steeping roots, barks, herbs, citrus peel and spices in alcohol, then sweetening the result. Every region, and often every family, has its own. In Italy we sip them after dinner as a digestivo, neat or over ice.
Their flavours are the flavours of autumn: dried orange, gentian, liquorice, cinnamon, cola, burnt sugar. Where sweet vermouth is wine-based and fruity, amaro is darker and more bitter, so it gives a stirred drink more depth and a longer finish. It pairs naturally with the spice of rye whiskey.
Amari to try in a Black Manhattan
- Averna: The original. Sicilian, rich and caramel-sweet with orange and liquorice. Smooth and easy.
- Amaro Montenegro: From Bologna. Lighter and floral, with rose and orange peel. A softer, prettier drink.
- Ramazzotti: From Milan. Cola, orange and warm spice. Very good with a spicy rye.
- Amaro Nonino: From Friuli, made on a grappa base. Bittersweet orange and caramel. Elegant and gentle.
- Cynar: Made with artichoke. Earthy, vegetal and less sweet. For people who like their drinks properly bitter.
How to make it
The classic proportions are two parts rye to one part amaro, with a dash of Angostura and a dash of orange bitters. In metric that is 50 ml rye and 25 ml amaro. Rye gives the drink its spicy backbone. Bourbon makes it sweeter and rounder, which some people prefer.
Recipe: black manhattan
- Chill: put your coupe or Nick and Nora glass in the freezer before you start.
- Build: pour the rye, amaro and bitters into a mixing glass.
- Ice: fill it with plenty of large, hard, fresh ice cubes, right to the top.
- Stir: stir smoothly for about 20 to 30 seconds, until the glass feels very cold and the drink has gained a little volume from the meltwater.
- Strain and garnish: strain into the chilled glass. Add a good cocktail cherry, or express a strip of orange peel over the top.
Bella's tip: Always stir a Black Manhattan, never shake it. Drinks made only of spirits should be silky and crystal-clear. Shaking adds air and tiny ice shards and makes them cloudy and thin.
Guide: shaking stirring
Guide: ice for cocktails
Other drinks for autumn evenings
If you prefer something brighter, a whiskey sour with pumpkin and maple is fun for Halloween week. And when it is properly cold and wet outside, nothing beats a hot toddy made with cloudy apple juice, spices and a good splash of whisky.
Recipe: pumpkin maple whiskey sour
Recipe: spiced apple cider hot toddy
And if you fall in love with amaro, explore the wider Italian aperitivo world too. Bitterness before dinner to wake you up, bitterness after dinner to settle you. We Italians have it all planned.
Guide: aperitivo negroni spritz
Bitter is a flavour of autumn. Stir it slowly and let it warm you.
