Dark Side Manhattan Recipe

Chill glass

Place a coupe or Nick & Nora glass in the freezer or fill with ice water to chill while you build the cocktail.

Build in mixing glass

Add 2 oz Bulleit Rye whiskey, 0.5 oz Amaro Montenegro, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters, and 0.25 tsp simple syrup (optional) to a mixing glass.

Add ice and stir

Fill the mixing glass with plenty of ice (about 1 cup). Stir gently with a bar spoon for 20–30 seconds until the mixture is well chilled, slightly diluted, and the outside of the mixing glass feels cold (target ~20% dilution).

Prepare glass and garnish

If you used ice water to chill the serving glass, dump it out. Place 1 Luxardo cherry in the bottom of the chilled glass. Cut a 1" strip of orange peel and hold it skin-side down over the glass; give it a firm twist to express the oils over the surface, then rub the peel around the rim.

Strain and serve

Double-strain the stirred cocktail into the chilled glass using a julep or Hawthorne strainer (and a fine mesh if desired) so no small ice shards enter the drink. Add a few small ice cubes to the glass only if you prefer the Manhattan slightly cooler (about 0.5 cup ice optional).

Finish

Garnish by dropping the expressed orange peel into the drink on top of the Luxardo cherry. Serve immediately.