Make a Perfect Manhattan

This post is courtesy of my husband because Manhattan's aren't my thing - but they sure do remind me of my sweet grandmother who "adored" her Manhattans.

First: fill the Manhattan glass with ice and club soda.  My husband thinks that the soda chills the glass faster than plain water.  I got these glasses for my husband for Christmas from Crate and Barrel and love how they look.

In a cocktail shaker, add the following:
handful of ice
2 dashes of aromatic bitters (my husband likes Peychaud's)
1/2 ounces of sweet vermouth
2 ounces of premium bourbon or rye whiskey (we used Larceny Kentucky Bourbon for this)

Now, here's an important part - refrain from putting the lid on the cocktail shaker.  Unlike James Bond, you should STIR your ingredients, not shake them.  Stirring doesn't bruise the alcohol.  Make sure they're stirred together well.

Pour the ice/soda mixture out of the Manhattan glass you've got chilling to make room for the good stuff.

After stirring, put the lid on the shaker so that you can use the straining part on the top to pour your drink without the ice (or use a strainer if you've got one).

Pour, add a cherry, and turn on Mad Men and let your husband pretend that he is Don Draper.  Mine does.