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Fridge Door Manhattans

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 31, 2025

Time

2 hours 5 minutes

Yield

Makes 8 cocktails

Fridge Door Manhattans

Ingredients

16 ounces rye 8 ounces water 6 ounces sweet vermouth ½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters Cocktail cherries for garnishing

Before You Begin

You can store the cocktail in a 1-quart Mason jar instead of a bottle if you like.

Instructions

  1. Combine 16 ounces rye, 8 ounces water, 6 ounces sweet vermouth, and ½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters in 1-liter glass bottle. Cover and freeze until well chilled, about 2 hours. Prepare cocktails immediately or transfer to refrigerator and store for up to 1 month; return to freezer and chill for 30 minutes before preparing cocktails.
  2. Gently shake bottle to recombine, then serve cocktails in chilled cocktail glasses, garnishing with cherries.
Fridge Door Manhattans
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Joy Howard.

Fridge Door Manhattans

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 31, 2025

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Time

2 hours 5 minutes

Yield

Makes 8 cocktails

Ingredients

16 ounces rye
8 ounces water
6 ounces sweet vermouth
½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters
Cocktail cherries for garnishing

Ingredients

16 ounces rye
8 ounces water
6 ounces sweet vermouth
½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters
Cocktail cherries for garnishing

Ingredients

16 ounces rye
8 ounces water
6 ounces sweet vermouth
½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters
Cocktail cherries for garnishing

Why This Recipe Works

Replace the nonalcoholic sweetener of the old-fashioned with vermouth and ditch the ice, and you’re on your way to a Manhattan. Along with the old-fashioned and the martini, it’s one of the most recognizable cocktails of all time, with its balance of subtle bitterness, hints of sweetness, herbal-floral undertones, and whiskey spice.

Before You Begin

You can store the cocktail in a 1-quart Mason jar instead of a bottle if you like.

Instructions

  1. Combine 16 ounces rye, 8 ounces water, 6 ounces sweet vermouth, and ½ teaspoon old-fashioned aromatic bitters in 1-liter glass bottle. Cover and freeze until well chilled, about 2 hours. Prepare cocktails immediately or transfer to refrigerator and store for up to 1 month; return to freezer and chill for 30 minutes before preparing cocktails.
  2. Gently shake bottle to recombine, then serve cocktails in chilled cocktail glasses, garnishing with cherries.

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