Manhattan

Ingredients

 * 2 ounces rye whisky
 * 1 ounce Italian vermouth
 * 2 dashes
 * Angostura bitters

Directions
Stir the rye,* vermouth and bitters well with cracked ice. (Some prefer to shake their Manhattans. There's nothing wrong with that, really, at least no more than putting ketchup on a hot-dog is wrong or mayonnaise on a corned beef sandwich. If you like your Manhattan cloudy and topped with an algae-like foam, shake away. It won't taste any worse, anyway, although it'll feel thinner on the tongue.) Strain into in a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with twist or, of course, maraschino cherry (which is subject to the same challenge re: purity as adding an olive to a martini).

Of course, human beings, being human beings, can never leave well enough alone. Here, then, are the obligatory variants.

First, a few you can make by monkeying around with the bitters: Lose the Angostura and pitch in a splash of Amer Picon and it's a Monahan; a splash of anisette and it's a Narragansett; 2 dashes of cherry brandy and a dash of absinthe and you've got a McKinley's Delight. Leave a dash of the Angostura in, add a dash of orange bitters and 3 dashes of absinthe: a Sherman.

Or you can tinker with the vermouth. Replace half the Italian vermouth with French for a so-called Perfect Manhattan. Equal parts of rye, French vermouth, and Italian vermouth: a Jumbo. Make that with bourbon: a Honolulu (no bitters at all in those last two). Cut the Italian vermouth entirely and make it half bourbon and half French vermouth: a Rosemary. To turn that into aBrown University, just add a couple dashes of orange bitters. Coming almost full circle, if you make your classic 2-to-1 Manhattan with French vermouth instead of Italian and a dash of Amer Picon and one of Maraschino, you're in Brooklyn. And there are more -- the Rob Roy, for one, but we gotta stop somewhere.

In case of emergency -- you need a Manhattan and you're passing a bar of the "Rye? Nah." variety -- Canadian Club will do; it's got lots of rye in it.

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