East Van Manhattan Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Chill a coupe or Nick & Nora glass in the freezer or by filling with ice water while you assemble the cocktail. Measure out rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, amaro, bitters, and demerara syrup.

Combine and stir

In a mixing glass add 2 oz rye whiskey, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz amaro, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters, and 0.25 oz demerara syrup. Fill the mixing glass with plenty of ice. Stir gently but steadily for 30–45 seconds (20–30 full turns) until well-chilled and properly diluted—mixture should be very cold and slightly viscous.

Strain

Dump the ice or water from your chilled serving glass. Double-strain (or fine-strain if desired) the mixture from the mixing glass into the chilled coupe or Nick & Nora using a Hawthorne and julep strainer or a Hawthorne plus fine mesh to remove any small ice shards.

Express and garnish

Express the oils from an orange peel over the surface of the cocktail by holding the peel over the glass skin-side down and giving it a quick squeeze so the oils spray across the drink. Rub the peel around the glass rim if desired, then drop the peel into the drink. Finish with one Luxardo or brandied cherry on a pick laid across the rim or dropped into the cocktail.

Serve immediately. The East Van Manhattan is best enjoyed at cellar-cold temperature with its balanced bitter, sweet, and herbal notes.