The story
A New York original.
Named for the city where it was born, the Manhattan is one of the oldest cocktails still ordered by name — and among the first to use vermouth.
- 1870s
Birth in New York
The drink appears in New York City bars. A popular legend credits a banquet at the Manhattan Club, though historians doubt the details.
- 1880s
In print
Recipes appear in bartender manuals, often with equal parts whiskey and vermouth, plus bitters and sometimes curaçao or absinthe.
- 1920–1933
Prohibition
With rye scarce, Canadian whisky stands in. The drink travels abroad with American bartenders.
- 1950s–60s
Cocktail-hour icon
The Manhattan becomes a fixture of supper clubs and business lunches — often made with bourbon.
- 2000s
The revival
Craft bartenders bring back rye, quality vermouth and proper technique, sparking endless variations.
- Today
27 and counting
From the Black Manhattan to the Brooklyn, the template keeps inspiring new classics.