Apple Cider Manhattan
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Celebrate the flavors of fall with this lovely and delicious Apple Cider Manhattan! This fall cocktail recipe is made with bourbon, sweet vermouth, apple cider, and maple syrup. It’s the perfect balance of seasonal flavors.
Apple Cider Manhattan
Shaking up new cocktail recipes is among my favorite things to do. I’m always excited to add a new drink to my repertoire. My latest libation is this Apple Cider Manhattan!
(Just in case you’re wanting more fall cocktail recipes, I created a post dedicated to my best autumn libations. You can find that HERE.)
If you’ve been reading IBC this past week, you probably remember me teasing you with this cocktail recipe when I shared how I decorated my family room for fall! (You can see that space here if you missed it.) Well, I do my best to keep my promises, so today I’m back with the recipe.
I got the idea for this drink after sharing my Cider and Maple Old Fashioned. I’m a huge fan of anything made with apple cider, bourbon, and maple syrup. It’s such a tasty combination!
This recipe is similar to my Cider and Maple Old Fashioned, but a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned have a few important differences. Let me explain.
What’s the Difference Between a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned?
An Old Fashioned is made with whiskey (bourbon or rye), bitters, and sugar. Traditionally, an Old Fashioned is served on ice in a rocks glass.
A Manhattan is made with rye whiskey but uses sweet vermouth instead of sugar. It’s served in a coupe glass.
As I just mentioned, Manhattans are typically made with rye whiskey, so if you want authentic, opt for that. If you don’t have rye whiskey on hand, however, don’t stress. Bourbon will work equally well.
Now that you know the differences, let’s make an Apple Cider Manhattan!
How To Make An Apple Cider Manhattan:
Begin by gathering the ingredients. You will need:
- Rye whiskey (or bourbon)
- Sweet vermouth
- Apple cider
- Maple syrup
- Orange bitters
- Luxardo cherry
Next, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Then, add the bourbon, sweet vermouth, apple cider, maple syrup, and two dashes of orange bitters. (I’ve included detailed ingredient amounts and recipe instructions in the printable recipe card below.)
Shake vigorously.
Manhattans are typically served in coupe glasses, so that’s what I’m using. Mine are these gorgeous silver-rimmed ones. (I also have them in gold, and I love those, too… maybe more.)
Once the ingredients are well shaken, strain the cocktail into a glass.
I like to garnish this cocktail with a Luxardo maraschino cherry. Luxardo maraschino cherries are AMAZING. They are a bit pricey, but a jar of them will last a long time. (If you’re looking for them online, I buy this two-pack.)
I skewered the cherry onto a cocktail pick. (Yes, it would have been ideal to have silver ones, but I only had gold so I made it work. I’m fine with mixed metals.)
And voila! This Apple Cider Manhattan is complete and ready to be enjoyed!
Looking for more fall cocktails? Try these:
- Apple Cider Sidecar
- Maple Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
- Pumpkin Old Fashioned
- Autumn Harvest Sangria
- Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
- Harvest Apple Mule
The flavor combination is yummy and quintessentially fall. And can we also talk about how pretty this drink is? The color of the cocktail shines through in the elegant glassware. Though, to be fair, I think anything would look beautiful in those glasses. And if you like this little scene above, be sure to check out this post HERE. I’m gave a full tour of my family room decorated for fall!
Cheers, friends!
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Apple Cider Manhattan Recipe
Apple Cider Manhattan
Ingredients
- 2 ounces bourbon
- .5 ounce sweet vermouth
- 1.5 ounces apple cider
- .5 ounce maple syrup
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Luxardo cherry to garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the bourbon, sweet vermouth, apple cider, maple syrup, and two dashes of orange bitters.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a Luxardo maraschino cherry.
Made this tonight and served in my new coupe glasses ! What a fabulous cocktail !! Delicious !! And looked so pretty. All I was missing was the fancy toothpick.. I used WR malt whiskey and Trader Joe’s maple syrup that was bourbon barrel aged. Cheers !
Michael! Love this drink. Thank you for being so creative and for valuing making life worth living…one cocktail at a time! Also, I just may need to get some coupe glasses.
OMG but these are delicious and quite addictive. We have had them 2 nights in a row. Thanks, Michael. Your recipes always turn out well.
thank you for this cocktail inspiration, and for reminding me of the differences between a manhattan and old fashioned, somehow I never realized that an old fashioned has sugar, and to me raw sugar plus alcohol equals headache, so good to know that doesn’t have any refined sugar
I made some last night, and it was wonderful! I was a little worried it was going to be too sweet with the maple syrup, but no it was perfect! I did not have the proper bitter (still need to find orange bitter) but we loved it! I totally agree about those cherries, they are the best. This is going to be my official Halloween cocktail!
The recipe is nice…but lets talk about your dahalias. 🙂 How is the garden going? The bouquet in your pic is lovely!