Gilmore Girls Inspired Manhattan Cocktail Recipe

Food & Glam Blog is committed to responsible drinking. You must be 21 years of age or older in the United States to view this recipe. If you are 21 and over and partake in purchasing/consuming alcohol, please drink responsibly.

Photo from https://www.womaninrevolt.com/gilmore-girls-season-6-episode-19-i-get-a-sidekick-out-of-you/

“Two Manhattans with extra cherries, please!” Gilmore Girls is one of those timeless shows that makes you want to curl up on the couch for binge night. Perhaps the only thing that can make a Gilmore sesh even better is a cocktail inspired by the show!

In episode 19 season 6, Lorelai attends the wedding of Lane and Zach. During the wedding reception at the town square, Lorelai and Rory drink Manhattan cocktails from the bar that are loaded with Maraschino cherries. To make this cocktail even more Gilmore-inspired, we’re adding coffee bitters to the recipe. As we know, coffee is an important part of Lorelai and Rory’s diet.

Why do we love a Manhattan? It’s an elevated cocktail that isn’t too fancy or complicated to make. If you like whiskey but don’t prefer to drink it straight or on the rocks, a Manhattan is a great cocktail of choice.

It’s more sweet than our other favorite, the Whiskey Sour, and doesn’t have the sugar cube and orange peel elements of an Old Fashioned. A Manhattan consists of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and either garnished with a brandied cherry or maraschino cherry.

Rye whiskey, the designated spirit for this drink, is popular in the U.S. and Canada and is known for its spicy and slightly fruity and nutty flavors. It’s made with rye grain and tends to be spicier and more intense than bourbon and other types of whiskey.

Bar Tools

This drink is built, not shaken. It must be stirred for about 15 seconds or until the glass becomes cold from the ice. Melting the ice with the drink is a crucial step prior to serving as the ice balances out the intensity, sweetness and bitterness of the key ingredients.

The bar tools I recommend for this cocktail are a 17-28 ounce mixing glass, bar spoon, jigger, strainer and a whiskey serving glass which is 7-12 ounces. Since this recipe is inspired by the show, I chose to serve it in a whiskey glass versus the traditional martini glass.

If you are curious about making cocktails or mocktails, I highly recommend to treat yourself to a mixology set which typically comes with a bar spoon, glass, shaker, strainer and jigger. While not needed for this recipe, I also recommend for at-home mixologists to get a muddler to extract all the juicy flavor from fruit and sweeteners for mojitos, hard apple ciders and more! Get my recommendations for shaker set, jigger and muddlers on Amazon.com.

Cocktail Ingredients & Recipe

• Rye whiskey or your favorite whiskey (sweet-flavored whiskey not recommended)
• Sweet vermouth
• Coffee bitters (This brand on Etsy is recommended!)
• Maraschino cherries
• Ice

Gather all the ingredients, bar tools, mixing glass and serving glass. (Scroll up for recommended bar tools). Then, it’s time for ice. Grab your serving glass and add ice, filling to 1/4 of the way or less, then add ice to fill about 1/4 of the mixing glass.

Using a jigger, pour 1.5-2 ounces of whiskey (larger end of the jigger) into the iced mixing glass. Pour 0.75 ounces of sweet vermouth (smaller end of jigger) into the glass. Grab your coffee bitters and add 2 dashes to the mixture.

Now, it’s time to stir. Grab your bar spoon and stir the mixture for 15-20 seconds, or until the glass becomes iced cold to the touch. Grab your strainer, place it on top of your mixing glass, then pour the mixture into your serving glass. Make sure to get all the liquid from the shaker.

Since this drink is inspired by the Gilmore Girls, add 3-5 Maraschino cherries to the cocktail. Serve and enjoy! Please drink responsibly.

Tap the Instagram icon to watch me take this cocktail! Watch on my pinned Reels.

• Instagram

Credits:

Episode info from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0778246/?ref_=tt_mv_close

Gilmore Girls photo courtesy of https://www.womaninrevolt.com/gilmore-girls-season-6-episode-19-i-get-a-sidekick-out-of-you/

All recipe photos taken by Jan Crystal