Naked In Manhattan Recipe

Chill glass

Place a coupe or chilled rocks glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you build the cocktail.

Measure and add spirits

In a mixing glass or Boston shaker (no tin needed), add 2 oz Weller Special Reserve bourbon, 0.5 oz Choya Yuzu, 0.5 oz Cointreau Noir, and 0.5 oz Leopold's Aperitivo.

Add bitters and ice

Add 3 dashes of tiki-style aromatic bitters to the mixing glass. Fill the mixing glass with large ice cubes until nearly full (large cubes chill without watering too quickly).

Stir

Stir the mixture briskly for 20–30 seconds (about 20–30 full strokes) until the outside of the mixing glass feels very cold and the cocktail is well diluted (roughly 20–25% dilution depending on ice). This produces a silky texture appropriate for a spirit-forward Manhattan-style drink.

Prepare garnish and glass

Discard ice water from the chilled serving glass (if used) and strain the chilled cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer or julep strainer into the glass. Hold the orange twist over the surface and give it a firm express to release oils, then optionally wipe the rim with the twist and drop it in or lay it on the rim. Add one Luxardo cherry into the cocktail or skewer it on a pick and rest across the glass.

Optional aromatic finish

If you want an extra aromatic top note, lightly spritz or express the orange oil over the drink and pass the twist around the rim of the glass once more.

Serve immediately. This cocktail is best enjoyed straight up in a coupe or on a large rock in a rocks glass, depending on preference. Sip slowly to appreciate the interplay of the bourbon, citrus-yuzu brightness, the herbal bitterness from Leopold's Aperitivo, and the orange-citrus depth from Cointreau Noir. The tiki bitters add subtle spice and aromatic complexity.