The Martini gets many of the accolades and the immeasurable endorsement deals, but the Manhattan should rightly be considered the father (or grandfather) of the cocktail family tree. One of the, if not the, first cocktails to use vermouth as its mixing agent, the Manhattan, by many accounts, constitutes proof that there's a benevolent force working for us in the universe. But this nigh-perfect drink didn't randomly appear as is. The recipe in Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide or How to Mix Drinks, from 1862, lists as ingredients: 2 dashes Curaçao or maraschino, 1 pony of rye whiskey, 1 wine-glass of vermouth, and 3 dashes of Boker's bitters. Now, that's not exactly what we today know as the Manhattan, with no offense meant to "The Professor," without whom we'd all be a bit sadder, as his was one of the first real cocktail books. I suppose even the greats must grow over time.

While the Manhattan seems simple, don't be deceived. It's a deadly simplicity (like driving through the Midwest. It seems simple enough, but then you're in the middle of western Nebraska, miles away from a gas station with no way to get the car started). With the right balance of vermouth to the right rye or whiskey, you'll find yourself in the seventh plane of drinker's heaven. If using a forceful whiskey, stick with the ratio below. If going with a smoother, lighter whiskey, don't be shy about cutting back a bit on the vermouth. But don't cut back too much, because the vermouth doesn't like being left out. On the same token, start with the two dashes of bitters, and then add a bit more as need and desire demands.