December 10, 2025

Black Manhattan

Name: Black Manhattan (Non-Alcoholic)
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 oz Spiritless Kentucky 74; 1 oz The Pathfinder; 5 dashes ATB Coffee &amp; Cherry Bitters

Amaro · Bitter · Bold · Cherry · Coffee & Cherry Bitters · Dark · Easy · Kentucky 74 · Low calorie · Modern · Non-alcoholic whiskey · Pathfinder · Spirit Forward · Variation · Whiskey

Created in 2005 by bartender Todd Smith, the Black Manhattan is a bold riff on the classic Manhattan that swaps sweet vermouth for amaro. While it wasn't created as a non-alcoholic cocktail, that change to the classic is what makes it a standout in the world of non-alcoholic cocktails: amaro—like The Pathfinder, in our version—brings more herbal intensity, bitterness, and body than vermouth. Those elements work together to make this feel more like a proper “spirit-forward” cocktail than a mocktail.

While most modern Black Manhattan recipes call for aromatic and orange bitters, the original version featured house-made cherry coffee bitters—ultimately inspiring our own All The Bitter Coffee & Cherry. With this blend, you can now make the drink exactly as it was intended—whether you choose the alcoholic or non-alcoholic route.

This recipe was perfected using Spiritless Kentucky 74 and The Pathfinder, but feel free to use your favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic spirits instead.

Black Manhattan (Non-Alcoholic)

Rated 4.3 stars by 108 users

Servings

Cook Time

3 minutes

Calories

Dark and brooding, the Black Manhattan variation swaps out sweet vermouth for amaro.

Author:

All The Bitter

Image of Black Manhattan (Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients

2 oz Spiritless Kentucky 74
1 oz The Pathfinder
5 dashes ATB Coffee & Cherry Bitters

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Directions

Keep non-alcoholic spirits refrigerated to avoid dilution.
Combine pre-chilled spirits with bitters in a mixing glass, stir to blend, and pour into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

Recipe Note

ABOUT THE BLACK MANHATTAN
Invented at San Francisco’s Bourbon & Branch in 2005, the Black Manhattan gets its depth from amaro instead of vermouth. In this non-alcoholic take, The Pathfinder stands in beautifully—bringing the rich herbal notes and viscosity needed to balance a non-alcoholic whiskey base.

WHY AMARO INSTEAD OF VERMOUTH
Vermouth is light, bittersweet, and herbaceous. Amaro is essentially vermouth turned up tenfold—richer, more bitter, more textured, and more intense in flavor. That extra structure is essential in a non-alcoholic Manhattan to keep the drink from tasting thin.

A NOTE ON DILUTION
Because non-alcoholic spirits are often lighter in texture than their boozy counterparts, too much melted ice can make a drink taste weak or watery. For cocktails that are traditionally stirred with ice, keep your bottles refrigerated so the spirits start cold, eliminating the need for ice during mixing. When serving up, combine the chilled spirits in a mixing glass without ice, stir to blend, and strain into a frozen coupe for a crisp, concentrated result. If serving on the rocks instead, build the drink directly in the serving glass, add one large ice cube, and stir just enough to chill without watering it down.

COCKTAIL BITTERS IN NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS
Cocktail bitters provide depth and balance, rounding out sweet and sour flavors while adding bite. Since All The Bitter is completely 0% ABV (unlike traditional bitters, which are around 45% alcohol), you can use as much as you like to dial in flavor and complexity without affecting the ABV of your drink.

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