Less is more: Manhattan

© Damien Guichard

Damien Guichard gets creative with the classic Manhattan.

A guest walks into a bar…

… and orders a drink. They like it so much, they flash a grin and say, “I could have another one… or maybe something similar, but different.”

Here’s the thing: most guests don’t care how many creative hoops you jumped through to make their cocktail. What they do care about is whether you get them. If you nail what they like, they’ll gladly hand over the reins and let you steer the night – no second-guessing, no drink regret.

Now, as the bar industry weathers a bit of a dry spell (pun intended) – with folks drinking less and spending less – many bars are trimming the fat. Less “fancy shit,” more thoughtful simplicity. But don’t mistake simple for easy. That’s where the idea for Less Is More was born: how do you keep that spark of creativity alive when you set yourself some drastic limitations?

The rule? Easy: take a classic cocktail, remove one ingredient, and replace it with something new. The alchemy that follows – how the new elements play together and how you tweak the specs – is where the magic lives.

For this first round, we’re tackling the mother of all cocktails: the Manhattan.

Every bartender worth their bitters can whip one up: two parts spirit, one part vermouth, and a dash of bitters for seasoning. But the Manhattan’s roots are messier than you might think – early recipes featured everything from dry curaçao and absinthe to maraschino and gum syrup.

One thing’s remained constant, though: it’s as much a vermouth drink as it is a whiskey drink. In fact, some old-school versions call for equal parts of both. So naturally, I decided to mess with it. I took out the vermouth. (Dramatic pause.)

Yep, I yanked the sweet, velvety backbone of the drink and challenged myself to recreate that balance with something entirely different. Now, that’s no small move—vermouth packs a sweet punch, often with around 150g of sugar per liter. Our benchmark vermouth clocks in at a hefty 190g/L, almost liqueur-level sweetness.

So what’s the plan when you remove all that sugary smoothness? Stay true to the Manhattan’s essence: boozy, bittersweet, herbal, and aromatic. Then rebuild it with clever, local flair.

© Damien Guichard

Enter: Riesling Auslese—a rich, sweet Austrian white wine that brings elegant fruit and acidity.
Supporting role: Himbeergeist, a traditional fruit eau-de-vie from German-speaking lands. Think raspberries soaked in neutral grain spirit and distilled into clear brilliance.
Since the wine is still drier than vermouth (84.7g sugar/L vs. our original 190g), we sneak in a little simple syrup to round things out.
And finally, a whisper of anise liqueur—a nod to both my roots and the early Manhattan variants.

The result? – A Manhattan...? Sure, let’s call it that.

The "Manhattan...?"

•            40 ml Bourbon

•            30 ml Riesling Auslese

•            10 ml Himbeergeist

•            1.25 ml Anise Liqueur

•            1.25 ml Simple Syrup

Stirred down and strained into a chilled coupe. Garnished with a kiss.

Cheers to Less Is More—and to finding something similar, but just different enough.