Black Rumhattan

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The Black Rumhattan is exactly what its name promises: a Manhattan with the rye or bourbon swapped for dark, molasses-rich black rum. Sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters stay in place, the drink is still stirred and served up with a cherry, but the flavor shifts from spicy grain to caramel, brown sugar and tropical funk. It is one of the easiest ways to bring rum into the stirred, spirit-forward world usually reserved for whiskey, and it makes an excellent case that black rum deserves a coupe as much as it deserves a tiki mug.

What Is a Black Rumhattan?

The Rumhattan family is a loose group of Manhattan variations built on rum rather than whiskey. Most versions use an aged Spanish-style or Jamaican rum; the Black Rumhattan specifically calls for black or blackstrap rum, which pushes the drink darker and sweeter and gives it an almost coffee-like depth. The recipe on Difford's Guide uses roughly two parts black rum to one part rosso vermouth with a dash of aromatic bitters, stirred and fine strained into a coupe with a Luxardo cherry. At around 25 percent alcohol in the glass, it is a proper sipping cocktail.

A Brief History

The Manhattan itself dates to 1880s New York, and rum versions have existed almost as long, since rum was as common as whiskey in nineteenth-century American bars. The modern Rumhattan revival came with the craft cocktail movement of the 2000s, when bartenders began treating premium aged rums the way they treated bourbon. The Black Rumhattan is a more recent Difford's Guide entry that leans into the sweeter, heavier end of the rum spectrum, in the same spirit as the Black Manhattan, which swaps vermouth for amaro. If you enjoy that drink, this one is its rum-soaked cousin.

Flavor Profile and What to Expect

Expect molasses and burnt caramel up front, followed by the herbal, slightly bitter sweetness of the vermouth and the warm clove and cinnamon notes of Angostura. The finish is long and rich, with a faint tropical fruitiness if your rum has any Jamaican character. Compared to a whiskey Manhattan it is rounder and less spicy; compared to a Rum Old Fashioned it is softer and more aromatic thanks to the vermouth. One Difford's reviewer notes that blending in a bit of funky Jamaican rum adds punch, which is a good tip if your black rum is on the mellow side.

Choosing the Rum

Gosling's Black Seal, Cruzan Black Strap or a navy-style rum such as Pusser's all work. Blackstrap rums make the sweetest, most intense version; a lighter dark rum makes something closer to a standard Rumhattan. Splitting the base between black rum and an aged Jamaican rum gives the best of both. Our rum cocktail guide covers the differences.

Choosing the Vermouth

A rich Italian rosso such as Carpano Antica or Cocchi di Torino stands up best to black rum. Lighter vermouths can disappear. Keep your vermouth refrigerated once opened; oxidized vermouth is the most common reason a stirred drink tastes flat.

Popular Variations

Swap the sweet vermouth for Averna or another amaro and you have a rum-based Black Manhattan. Add a quarter ounce of falernum for a tiki-leaning version reminiscent of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. Use half sweet and half dry vermouth for a Perfect Black Rumhattan. Gosling's publishes its own Black Seal Manhattan with a heavier hand on the bitters, which is worth trying side by side. For a smokier take, rinse the glass with a little mezcal or peaty Scotch, in the manner of a Smoked Manhattan.

How to Serve It

Always stirred, never shaken, and always in a well-chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Stir longer than you think you need to; the drink benefits from proper dilution. A good maraschino or brandied cherry is the classic garnish, and an expressed orange peel is a fine alternative if you want more aroma.

Batching for a Party

The Black Rumhattan batches beautifully. For eight drinks, combine 13 ounces of black rum, 6 ounces of sweet vermouth, 8 dashes of bitters and 3 ounces of water in a bottle and keep it in the freezer; the water replaces the dilution you would get from stirring. Pour straight into chilled coupes and add a cherry to each. It will hold in the freezer for weeks, which makes it an easy signature cocktail for a holiday dinner.

Food Pairings

Serve it after dinner with dark chocolate, a cheese board of aged Gouda and blue cheese, pecan pie or a plate of spiced nuts. It also holds up to a cigar. The molasses in the rum makes it a natural partner for anything caramelized, from crème brûlée to bananas Foster.

When to Drink It

This is a cold-weather, after-dinner drink, ideal with dark chocolate, a cigar, aged cheese or a slice of pecan pie. It belongs on any fall or winter cocktail menu next to a Boulevardier or a Rob Roy. Explore more stirred classics in our drink categories.

Why People Love It

The Black Rumhattan takes a drink everyone already knows and makes it new with a single substitution. It is rich without being sweet, simple to make and endlessly tweakable, and it gives black rum a seat at the grown-up table. If you have a bottle of Black Seal and a bottle of vermouth, you are two minutes away from one of the best rum cocktails you have never made.