Chocolate Caramel Manhattan

I am definitely a bourbon and whiskey lover, both for sipping and for mixing. So, when I hear about flavored whiskeys, my ears perk up. And when that particular flavor is chocolate, I'm all attention.

The folks at WhiskeySmith wanted to know if I'd like to sample some of their new flavors, including chocolate, so that was an easy 'yes, please!' I wasn't sure if the chocolate taste would be noticeable enough or if the whiskey would still be smooth. Happily, the answer to both was a resounding yes.

A few days after I received the bottles, my apartment building neighbors and I decided to have a little distanced hallway cocktail gathering, something we'd done before during lockdown. I brought out the bottle to let my neighbors have a taste and they confirmed what I already knew. Damn, this stuff is good, was the unanimous opinion.

So, the whiskey passed the hardest test which is that it's a great sipper. Now, how will it do as a mixer? I love a classic Manhattan cocktail but, with apologies to any purists, I messed with the classic. First I made it with my normal recipe but with the chocolate whiskey. Yum. Then I went and added some caramel flavored liqueur because...chocolate and caramel. The combo was great. A classic whiskey, vermouth and bitters cocktail with notes of chocolate and caramel. You can skip the caramel rim but, it's the holidays after all. Cheers!

Yield: 2 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

Chocolate Caramel Manhattan

Prep time: 5 MinTotal time: 5 Min

Recipe for a Manhattan cocktail variation made with chocolate bourbon, dry vermouth, bitters and caramel liqueur.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. WhiskeySmith Chocolate Whiskey
• 2 oz. Dry vermouth
• 1 oz. Buttershots liqueur
• 4 Dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 Tablespoons caramel sauce for rimming (optional)
• Maraschino cherries

Instructions

1. Dip the rims of two cocktails glasses in the caramel and place in the freezer for a few minutes to set.
2. Add the chocolate whiskey, dry vermouth, caramel liqueur and bitters to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and pour into the prepared glasses. You can also add the ingredients to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir before pouring into the glasses.

This recipe is sponsored by Old Elk Distillery. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.