Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The best whiskey options to make your Manhattan drink recipe even better

Rye whiskey is classic, but not the only option

By

Manhattan
Drew Beamer/Unsplash

The Manhattan is one of the most well-known classic cocktails ever created. Like many famous mixed drinks, its history is a bit mysterious. One version of the story says that the drink was made at New York City’s Manhattan Club in the 1870s by a bartender named Iain Marshall. There is a mention of the drink in the later 1800s in a book written by bartender Wiliam F. Mulhall. Regardless of who created it, this whiskey-driven cocktail has stood the test of time.

Whiskey barrels
Josh Collesano/Unsplash

Whiskey matters

This iconic drink is similar to the Old Fashioned, except instead of whiskey, sugar, water, and Angostura bitters, the Manhattan is made with whiskey, Angostura bitters, and sweet vermouth. While the other ingredients are important, the whisky is the key. The bitters add a bit of spice to the mix, and the vermouth adds a fruity sweetness, but the big, bold flavor is the whisky. The other ingredients are only there so the whiskey can shine through.

Manhattan
Emily Andreeva/Unsplash

Our 5 favorite whiskeys to mix into a Manhattan

Rye is the preferred whiskey for a Manhattan. It gives the drink an added, peppery, spicy flavor to the other sweeter flavors. This creates a perfectly balanced cocktail. But this rye-based whiskey isn’t the only whiskey you can mix into a Manhattan. The drink can be made with bourbon, Canadian whisky, Tennessee whiskey, and other types of whiskey. We picked five great choices. Keep scrolling to see them all.

Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter’s

Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

You can’t go wrong when you mix up a Manhattan using a classic rye whiskey as the base. We prefer Michter’s US-1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. This 84.8-proof single-barrel whiskey was matured in fire-charred, new American white oak barrels. Made using sheared rye, it’s known for its palate of candied orange peels, caramelized sugar, charred wood, vanilla, and spicy, peppery rye. It’s guaranteed to add a nice spicy kick to your favorite cocktail.

Still Austin Straight Bourbon
Still Austin

Still Austin Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Made with white corn, this Texas-made bourbon whiskey is known for its high-rye mash bill. It’s a balanced mix of sweetness and spice. Also known as the “Musician,” this whiskey is known for its nose of toasted coconuts, caramelized pineapple, oaky, caramel, and vanilla. The palate is loaded with candied pecans, cinnamon sugar, butterscotch, and toffee; It will add a nice kick of corn sweetness and peppery rye to your Manhattan.

Alberta Premium Cask Strength
Alberta

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Canadian Whisky

Alberta Premium Cask Strength Whisky is like the Manhattan trifecta. It’s a Canadian whisky, it’s a rye whiskey, and it’s cask strength. What’s not to love? Made with 100% rye, this highly popular whisky has a potent alcohol content between 65-66%, depending on the batch. Sure to elevate your Manhattan, Alberta Premium Cask Strength Canadian Whisky is known for its flavors of butterscotch, vanilla beans, dried fruits, chocolate, candied orange peels, and peppery, spicy rye at the finish.

George Dickel Barrel Select
George Dickel

George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey

A sublimely well-balanced Tennessee whiskey, the process begins with a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. This award-winning 86-proof whiskey is matured for a minimum of nine years in charred oak barrels. Its charcoal mellowed to create a smooth, complex whiskey well-suited for sipping or mixing into a drink like a Manhattan, thanks to notes of vanilla beans, caramel, oak, and light wintry spices.

Old Ezra 7
Old Ezra

Old Ezra 7-Year-Old Bourbon

This 117-proof bourbon was matured for at least seven years in charred white oak barrels. Thanks to a tried-and-true mash bill of corn, rye, and barley, this award-winning whiskey is known for its flavors of cinnamon candy, charred oak, butterscotch, candied nuts, dried fruits, and toasted vanilla beans. The finish is warming, sweet, and bold. This high-proof whiskey is sure to hold its own against the strong flavors any cocktail.

Manhattan
Johann Trasch/Unsplash

Pick the right whiskey for you

We listed a few great choices above, but picking the right whiskey for your Manhattan is all about your particular palate. If you have the means, you should purchase a few different types of whiskey and experiment to find the best flavors that appeal to you. Bourbon offers a sweet corn backbone. Rye gives your drink a little kick of peppery spice. Cask strength whiskey offers an expression that’ll stand up in this drink without getting lost in the background. If you’re only going to buy one bottle to tick all of those boxes, we suggest a high-proof rye whiskey. Spicy, sweet, and boozy. There’s no better way to construct a classic Manhattan cocktail.

Editors’ Recommendations

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
Sweet and tasty cocktails to make with your chocolate whiskey
Chocolate and whiskey is a classic combination - why not put them in one drink?
Love Bomb

Whiskey can be a love it or hate it sort of spirit. With its high abv, strong flavors, and often heavily peated notes, it's the kind of drink that some people are immediately drawn to while others find difficult to handle. If you're in the latter group, though, don't assume that all whiskeys are heavy peat bombs that you'll never enjoy.

There's a growing group of high quality flavored whiskeys available on the market now. These aren't the overly sweet Fireball-esque concoctions of your youth, but a more nuanced take on whiskey with careful additions that can be more welcoming to new drinkers. Options like Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey might appeal to those with a hankering for some chocolate goodness, and we have recipes for how to use this spirit in cocktails.
Love Bomb
Ingredients:

Read more
Mix up a cocktail with your smokey Scotches with these recipes
Smoke and fruit make for an irresistible combination
Misty Isle Sour

Scotch is known for its bold, smokey flavors which can make it a challenge to mix with. You want to show off the nuances of the spirit and not cover them up with too many other ingredients, but you also need to work careful to balance those big flavors. But it can be done!

These recipes from Isle of Skye embrace the smokey character of Scotch to create complex and intriguing drinks. The first is a sour, which is a great format for practically any spirit.

Read more
Whiskey can be for springtime too, as these easy to make cocktails show
Get out your fruits and your berries, as we're mixing for spring
Bear Fight Whiskey

Spring is officially here, at least in my area where the sun has been shining and the winter cold is finally (finally!) dissipating. That means it's time for spring cocktails, and some of the hottest cocktail trends for this time of year include bright colors and fresh fruits. That might sound like you'll be looking to spritzes, or perhaps clear spirits like gin or vodka, and certainly those can make for some delicious drinks.

But you can also turn these trends to the world of whiskey, which can happily be mixed with these on-trend flavors too. These cocktails from Bear Fight Whiskey for spring include options using either single malt or bourbon as you prefer.
Bear Fight Espresso Martini
Ingredients:

Read more