Little Italy Cocktail

I first tried a version of this cocktail at Audrey Saunders’s Pegu Club in Manhattan. A sip later, I was hooked. If you are a Manhattan drinker and want to change things up a bit, try this recipe. Angostura, traditionally used in a Manhattan, is replaced with cynar. Cynar is an Italian bitter apéritif made from about 13 herbs and plants, the most predominant of which is artichoke. 

Ice
2 ounces rye
¾ ounce sweet vermouth, preferably Carpano Antica Formula
½ ounce cynar
1 maraschino cherry

1. At least 5 minutes before mixing your drink, place a 5-ounce coupe or glass in the freezer.
2. Fill two-thirds of a pint glass or cocktail mixer with ice. Add the rye, vermouth, and cynar and stir vigorously for about 30 seconds. Place the cherry in the chilled glass, then strain the drink into the glass. Makes 1 drink. –Jill Santopietro for CHOW.com.