A sophisticated and timeless classic cocktail made with a chocolate twist. Gently stirred together with sweet vermouth, herbal bitters and Heritage Distilling’s Cocoa Bomb Whiskey for a truly luxurious taste.
This recipe was sponsored by Heritage Distilling, a giant thank you to them and all College Housewife sponsors for keeping us up and running!
I am going through a serious classic cocktail phase these days! It might be the timeless feel of the holidays, but a Manhattan is the perfect cocktail for sipping on during cold winter months.
This classic manhattan is made in minutes in one mixing glass. Simply stir together whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters over ice until well chilled and strain into a coupe glass. A straight forward, timeless classic cocktail with sophisticated flavor.
Ingredients for a chocolate manhattan:
A classic manhattan is made with three easy ingredients: sweet vermouth (red), whiskey, and Angostura bitters.
Sweet Vermouth: Vermouth is technically fortified wine. It’s usually balanced out with bit more herbal notes (like an aperitif) and sweet vermouth is a red wine blend. The sweet vermouth helps balance out the whiskey and adds a richness to the Manhattan. Read more about the mystery of vermouth here!
Whiskey: You can make a Manhattan with rye whiskey or bourbon. Rye Whiskey is a bit more traditional but bourbon provides a more mellow taste and flavor. Honestly, it’s totally your preference!
Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, I am switching it WAY up and using this epic new Cocoa Bomb Whiskey from Heritage Distilling. It has notes of cocoa, dark chocolate and hints of marshmallow.
Chocolate and whiskey go together like peanut butter and jelly and the experience of the two flavors together is something magical. If you’re a chocolate lover, do NOT sleep on this whiskey. It’s a must have on your bar cart.
Bitters: Angostura bitters are the way to go. A few dashes add an extra herbal note and richness to the cocktail.
How to make a chocolate manhattan:
Grab a mixing glass. If you don’t have one you can use a large glass or mason jar as well.
Fill the mixing glass with ice. Add in the vermouth, cocoa bomb whiskey, and a few dashes of bitters. Using a bar spoon, run the spoon along the edge of the mixing glass 20-30 times or until the cocktail is very cold.
Strain cocktail into a small coupe glass and garnish with a Luxardo cherry and an orange peel twist.
When to serve this chocolate manhattan:
- Holiday Parties
- Fancy Dinner Parties
- At Home Happy Hour
- For game night
- Pre-game with the boys
Other winter cocktails to try:
- Apple Cider Whiskey Cocktail
- Mrs. Claus Cranberry Whiskey Cocktail
- Espresso Martinis
- Christmas Margaritas
- Spiced Apple Cider Margaritas
Chocolate Manhattan
ingredients
- 2 oz Heritage Distilling Cocoa Bomb Whiskey
- 1 oz sweet vermouth red
- Dash of Angostura bitters
- Orange Peel Twist for garnish
- Luxardo Cherry for garnish
instructions
- Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add in whiskey, vermouth, bitters and stir together 20-30 times.
- Express an orange peel into the glass and rub the edge of peel around the rim of the glass.
- Strain cocktail into glass and garnish with a luxardo cherry and orange peel.
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