The Man O' War co*cktail — Salt & Wind Travel (2024)

File this Man O’ War co*cktail recipe under “bourbon co*cktails every home bartender should know.” The Man O’ War is an easy bourbon co*cktail recipe beloved by those who know it and very much unknown by those who don’t.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Often overshadowed by the more mainstream classic bourbon co*cktails – like the Old Fashioned, the Whiskey Sour, or the Kentucky Mule — the Man O’ War co*cktail co*cktail is one of those that you’ll make once and then put on repeat. It’s a bourbon co*cktail that’s flavorful enough to stand on its own but food-friendly enough to pair with anything from a co*cktail party to Thanksgiving.

What Is The Man O’ War co*cktail?

The Man O’War co*cktail is named after one of the greatest race horses. Like the bourbon used in his namesake co*cktail, Man O’ War was from Kentucky.

Man O War was a serious horse racing legend, winning 20 of 21 races, including the prestigious Preakness and Belmont stakes in 1920. He likely would’ve won the elusive Triple Crown, but his owner never let him run it. Another fun racing fact: the other uber-famous racehorse, Secretariat, was a relative!

Because the Kentucky Derby is one of the greatest horse races ever, some purists would claim this co*cktail should only be made with Kentucky bourbon and served on Derby Day.

Man O’ War co*cktail Ingredients

The ingredients needed to make this co*cktail are:

• Ice Cubes
• Good-quality bourbon
• Orange liqueur
• Sweet Vermouth
• Lemon Juice
• Brandied Cherry
• Lemon Peel

How To Make The Man O’ War co*cktail

To make the classic Man O’War co*cktail recipe, Bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and lemon are shaken together, then strained and served straight up in a co*cktail glass.

It’s a fabulous drink when made that way, but we have made a slight tweak over the year. We like to nix the simple syrup and double up on the orange liqueur, so it’s a little less sweet and has a more citrus flavor. We sometimes mix it up by making it with high-quality Japanese whiskey or rye. Try it each way and decide your personal preference.

Tips To Make A Great Man O’ War co*cktail

Regardless of how you have it, there are a few key tips to help you shake up bourbon co*cktail perfection:

• Use Great Quality Ice: You know that saying “garbage in, garbage out?” That applies to ice too. Use the best quality filtered water for your ice so you don’t have off-flavors in the final drink.
• Choose A Quality Vermouth: Somewhere in the history of home bars, it became okay to use subpar vermouth. As you know, we like to do like the Spanish and the Italians and have our vermouth straight or in a variety of vermouth co*cktail recipes, so we’re always stocked with the good stuff. Try this co*cktail with Carpano Antica to see what we mean.
• Use Freshly-Squeezed Lemon Juice: Please don’t ever use the bottled stuff in any of our recipes — that extra 15 seconds it takes to squeeze fresh juice makes the drink 15 times better!

A Few Of Our Other Favorite Bourbon co*cktails

Once you’ve added this delicious drink to your bar repertoire, you may search for another bourbon co*cktail. Here are more than five other of our favorite bourbon co*cktails:

• Aged Eggnog co*cktail
• Ciderhouse Pear co*cktail
• The Bourbon Peach Smash co*cktail
• The Bourbon Crusta co*cktail
• The Kentucky Mule co*cktail
• The Old Fashioned co*cktail
• Smoked Whiskey Apple Cider co*cktail

• Spiced Cranberry Pear Bourbon co*cktail Recipe

If you need to up your home bar, check out our bar essentials, mix this up, and share the results with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!