Best ways to order a Manhattan

A Manhattan is whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. The rest is preference. If you say “Manhattan” and nothing else, you will get the house version — which may be rye, bourbon, or something sweet enough to hide both. If you care, name a bottle you like, or at least a style: rye for spice, bourbon for roundness. Up or on a big cube. Cherry if you want it; expressed orange if you do not. Do not treat a two-ingredient swap as a personality. If the bar does not have your bottle, pick another whiskey they actually pour. That is how you get a drink made with attention instead of a shrug.