Amaro takes this Manhattan to the next level. While we love the sweet vermouths used in classic Manhattans, using Amaro’s gives you room to experiment with bitter notes, citrus notes, and other flavors with a very rich backbone and silkiness.

This cocktail was created in 2005 by Todd Smith at the Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco. Todd enjoyed experimenting with amaros (who doesn’t?) and swapped the sweet vermouth element of a standard Manhattan with a rich amaro. Averna, one of the most popular and readily available amaros, was on hand and thus the Black Manhattan came to be. Different amaros will result in different flavor profiles, all of which will be excellent. The use of rye vs bourbon comes down to taste, but bear in mind that the amaro has lots of spice that may complement or surpass the rye element of your choice of whiskey.