A well-known bartender on TikTik posted how to make a “real” Manhattan cocktail. Viewers say he got the recipe wrong.
The Italy-based creator known as RDA (@roccodeangelisrda) has reached over 182,000 views and 6,000 likes on his viral video by Tuesday. He captioned his video, “REAL MANHATTAN.”
To start, RDA is filmed showing the finished product of a Manhattan. The video then pans to earlier clips before RDA had made the cocktail.
RDA is handed two glasses at the beginning in order to make the cocktail. First, he grabs a bottle of Mancino Vermouth. As stated in the caption of his video, RDA pours “2 cl sweet vermouth,” into the glass. This is about 0.6 ounces of liquid. RDA did not talk throughout the whole video.
Next he pours “5 cl Rye whiskey.” (This converts to about 1.7 ounces of liquid from centiliters.) Then, “2 dashes di angostura bitter.”
RDA adds ice into the glass with the liquor before stirring the contents using the “stir and strain” method. The stir and strain method is to “Combine the cocktail ingredients and ice in a mixing glass. Press the back of a stirring spoon against the edge of the glass until the ingredients are combined and slightly diluted.” After this, “Place a strainer over the mixing glass, holding it in place with your index finger. Pour into a glass for serving.”
RDA stirs for almost 20 seconds before tasting a sip of the drink off the stirring spoon and signing to the camera that he is satisfied.
Next RDA pours the liquid through a strainer into the serving glass. He says in the caption of his video that he used rosemary and an orange peel to garnish.
Before the video ends RDA uses a small torch to light the end of the rosemary garnish. He shows the finished cocktail to the camera before handing it to a fellow co-worker. The co-worker tried the drink and gave a “chef’s kiss,” to the camera.
But viewers in the comment section say RDA did not make the Manhattan cocktail the correct way.
@roccodeangelisrda REAL MANHATTAN 🍸 Tecnica stir and strain; 5 cl Rye whisky, 2 cl sweet vermouth, 2 dashes di angostura bitter🍸 Garnish, rosmery e peel d’arancia🍊
♬ suono originale – RDA🍸
“Every pour in the jigger was short smh,” one says.
“Perfect Manhattan has 1/2 dry 1/2 sweet vermouth and no bitters,” another wrote.
One bartender told viewers, “I’ve been doing it for 20+ years, and I’ll say this… most of his drinks are way off.”
Liquor.com states that a true Manhattan consists of “2 ounces rye whiskey, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, Garnish.” The garnish and vermouth type may be controversial, but that’s subjective. But ultimately the metric system math makes for a less-potent cocktail here than Americans expect.
The Daily Dot reached out to RDA via email.