Chinato Barolo Manhattan Recipe

Chill glass

Place your coupe, martini, or rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes or fill it with ice and water to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

Measure and combine

In a mixing glass, add 1.5 oz Barolo Chinato, 1 oz rye whiskey, 0.5 oz sweet vermouth, and 0.25 oz amaro (if using).

Add bitters and optional sugar

Add 2 dashes orange bitters and 1 dash Angostura bitters. If you prefer a slightly sweeter drink, add 0.25 tsp simple syrup. These small adjustments help balance the Chinato's bitterness and aromatic quinine.

Add ice and stir

Fill the mixing glass with large ice cubes. Stir gently but steadily for about 30–40 seconds (or until the mixing glass is well-chilled and the liquid is slightly diluted). Aim for smooth, glossy movement and to reach roughly 20–25% dilution depending on ice and temperature.

Strain

Discard the ice/water from your chilled serving glass if you used it to chill. Using a Hawthorne or julep strainer, strain the cocktail from the mixing glass into the chilled coupe or a rocks glass over a single large ice cube, depending on your preferred presentation.

Express the orange oil over the surface of the cocktail: hold an orange peel over the glass, skin side down, and give it a quick firm squeeze so the oils spray over the drink. Run the peel around the rim, then drop the peel into the cocktail or rest it on the rim.

Add a Luxardo or Amarena cherry to the drink. If serving on the rocks, garnish by skewering the cherry and resting it across the glass; if serving up, drop the cherry into the coupe.

Serve immediately. Note: Barolo Chinato is aromatically intense and somewhat bitter-sweet; the Rye-forward ratio (1:1.5 Chinato to whiskey) keeps the wine prominent while whiskey gives structure. Adjust sweetness with the optional syrup or by increasing sweet vermouth by 1/4 oz if desired in future iterations.

Rinse mixing glass and strainer promptly to avoid staining from Chinato. Wipe any spilled bitters from bar surface.