I'll Take the Manhattan

· Do not omit the bitters. I cannot stress that enough. The most common cause of a bad Manhattan is a poor bartender who forgets the bitters. Most often I go for a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters, but there are excellent versions that call for orange bitters, Peychaud bitters and others.

· Will you garnish the drink with a maraschino cherry, a lemon twist or both? At the risk of sounding like a bar chef, I suggest making a batch of homemade preserved cherries. (You'll find the recipe here.)

· One last item: A Manhattan is always stirred. That is nonnegotiable.

From here, variations are endless and often named after other New York boroughs or neighborhoods. For instance, I recently enjoyed the Red Hook (2 ounces rye, 1/2 ounce Punte Mes, 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur) and the Greenpoint (which replaces the Red Hook's maraschino with green Chartreuse).

Two versions I've recommended in the past are the Reverse Manhattan (3 parts sweet vermouth to one part bourbon, plus Angostura bitters) and the Manhattan Bianco (equal parts bourbon and bianco, not dry, vermouth). [Recipes: Manhattan Bianco and Reverse Manhattan.]

"The Manhattan has a special place in my heart," Thrasher says. "When my wife and I started dating, that's what she drank." Though now known for his highbrow libations, Thrasher admits that, back then, he drank mainly Captain Morgan-and-Cokes. "So my wife was more sophisticated than I was."

His version, My Wife's Manhattan, is a bit unorthodox, calling for equal parts sweet vermouth and bourbon. The original recipe also called for a hint of cherry juice, which Thrasher has replaced with cherry bitters. And in an almost heretical move, Thrasher shakes his Manhattan rather than stirring it: "You're never supposed to shake a Manhattan, but that's how she liked it, so that's how I make it."

I guess whoever said stirring was nonnegotiable has a few things to learn about marital bliss. Classicism aside, I approve.

Jason Wilson's Spirits column appears every other week. He can be reached at food@washpost.com.