Black Manhattan

A darker, more complex Manhattan variation using Amaro Averna in place of sweet vermouth.

Todd Smith invented the Black Manhattan at Cortez in San Francisco back in 2005 by swapping bourbon for rye. When he became bar director at Bourbon & Branch in 2006, he brought his creation with him. Gaz Regan noted in 2007 that the drink there featured bourbon, Averna, and Todd's homemade cherry-coffee bitters. Smith departed from Bourbon & Branch early in 2008, leading to a shortage of his unique bitters. By late 2008, according to the Washington Post, the cocktail had morphed into its now-familiar form: rye, Averna, Angostura aromatic bitters, and orange bitters.

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