Do Not Sleep on this Breakfast Manhattan for Day Drinkers

I love morning cocktails on the sweet side, but almost all of them tend to have coffee in them. Let’s broaden our horizons and try and Manhattan with a little jam added in. I’m calling this Marmalade Manhattan.

It’s a bourbon drink with Manhattan bones, but it drinks softer, brighter, and a little more relaxed. Orange marmalade gives it a round, bittersweet citrus edge that feels both familiar and slightly unexpected. It is the kind of stirred cocktail that works when you want something polished without going full formal.

Quick Summary

This Breakfast Manhattan is a bourbon cocktail with orange marmalade, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters. It lands somewhere between a Manhattan variation and a citrus-kissed evening sipper, with enough richness to feel substantial and enough brightness to stay lively. This is a smart pick for bourbon drinkers who want a sweet stirred drink with warmth, softness, and a little Louisville personality.

Why This Breakfast Manhattan Works

This drink works because it does not fight the bourbon – it takes flavors common in bourbon and makes a surprising riff on a classic Manhattan

Orange marmalade is doing more than adding sweetness. A good marmalade brings sugar, citrus oil, peel bitterness, and texture in one move. That matters here. Instead of tasting like a whiskey drink with a little orange flavor, this cocktail feels integrated. The marmalade meets bourbon where bourbon already lives: caramel, vanilla, oak, warm baking spice, and a faint bitter edge from barrel char.

The sweet vermouth keeps the drink tethered to the Manhattan family, but the smaller amount changes the center of gravity. This version is less deep and wine-driven than a classic Manhattan, and leans into sweetness. It lets the bourbon and marmalade do more of the talking. The orange bitters sharpen the outline and keep the citrus from turning jammy or dull (Angostura bitters are an excellent substitution if you don’t have orange bitters).

Then there is the salt. Just a few grains. Not enough to register as saline, but enough to make the orange read more vividly and the bourbon feel more expressive. Salt can heighten contrast and wake up muted edges. In this drink, it makes the difference between pleasant and dialed in.

The result is a stirred bourbon cocktail that feels approachable without going soft. It has sweetness, but not candy sweetness. It has citrus, but not sourness. It has structure, and a texture that removes it from the standard Manhattan category.

How the Flavor Evolves

The first sip usually leads with orange oil and bourbon sweetness. You get the immediate impression of citrus and oak together, followed by the darker, softer note of sweet vermouth. It feels plush up front, but not dense due to the texture imparted by the jam.

As the drink opens, the marmalade starts to show more clearly. Not just orange, but orange peel. That slight bitterness matters. It reins in the sweetness and keeps the cocktail from reading like breakfast preserve in a glass. Mid-palate, the bourbon comes back through with vanilla, spice, and whatever signature your bottle brings, whether that is nutty, floral, or rye-leaning.

With a little dilution, the drink often gets better. The vermouth spreads out, the citrus integrates more fully, and the bourbon’s sharper edges settle. If you garnish with a fresh orange twist expressed over the glass, the nose stays brighter and more lifted. If you use the Biscoff cookie garnish, the drink leans warmer and more dessert-adjacent, with the spiced biscuit note amplifying the bourbon’s sweeter side.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need the basics for a Manhattan, plus a few extras – marmalade and a little salt.

• Bourbon
• Orange marmalade (for a fun variation, try Yuzu, tangerine, or blood orange)
• Sweet vermouth – aim for a rich, high quality one
• Orange bitters
• Orange twist or Biscoff cookie for garnish
• A few grains of kosher or natural, non-iodized salt, optional but recommended
• Ice
• Chilled coupe glass
• Mixing glass, bar spoon, and strainer

Tips & Tricks for a Better Breakfast Manhattan Cocktail

You know there are always little things to do to create a better sipping experience. None of these are difficult, but together they can transform the drink into something that’s exceptional.

• Stir the bourbon and marmalade together before adding the other ingredients. If you skip this, the marmalade can clump and never fully incorporate.
• Use a marmalade with real peel character. A flat, overly sweet marmalade will make the drink taste one-note.
• Keep the vermouth fresh and in the fridge once opened. Oxidized vermouth will muddy the flavors.
• Chill the coupe first. This drink needs to stay cold and precise with the sweet marmalade and infused sweet vermouth.
• Add only a few grains of salt. A pinch is enough: this is a tuning move, not a flavor statement.
• Stir long enough to properly dilute. Around 30 seconds with cold ice is a good starting point.
• Double strain with a wire sieve to pull out pieces of peel and keep the drink smooth and as clear as possible.

Variations to Try

• Try other, non-standard marmalades: Yuzu, blook orange, tangerine and mandarin all make delicious substitutions.
• Use a high-rye bourbon: This adds more spice and a drier frame, which helps if you want the cocktail to feel more structured.
• Use a wheated bourbon: This makes the drink rounder and softer, with a gentler finish.
• Swap in a richer vermouth: A more cocoa- or vanilla-leaning vermouth will push the drink toward dessert.
• Try a grapefruit twist instead of orange: This adds a sharper aromatic edge and makes the drink feel slightly more grown-up.
• Lean into the cookie garnish: The Biscoff garnish is not subtle, but it works. It pulls out the bourbon’s caramel and spice in a way that feels cozy rather than gimmicky.
• Bump up the bitters or use non-orange bitters: This leans sweet. Bolster the bitters with additional dashes and types if you’re making this for drinkers who prefer dryer cocktails.

Other Bourbon Cocktails to Try

Of course, you could go traditional breakfast cocktails if that’s your jam (sorry, not sorry, had to do it).

• Breakfast Old Fashioned
• Breakfast Julep
• Morning Bourbon Mimosa
• Earl Gray Old Fashioned

Breakfast Marmalade Manhattan

Heather Wibbels

Breakfast in the Highlands is a bourbon cocktail with orange marmalade, sweet vermouth, and orange bitters. It drinks like a softer, brighter Manhattan variation with citrus depth and real bourbon character.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine Bourbon Cocktail

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 heaping bar spoon orange marmalade
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• Garnish: orange twist or Biscoff cookie
• Optional: a few grains of salt

Instructions

 

• Add the bourbon and orange marmalade to a mixing glass and stir until the marmalade is mostly dissolved.
• Add the sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and a few grains of salt if using.
• Fill the mixing glass with ice and stir for about 30 seconds, until chilled and lightly diluted.
• Strain into a chilled coupe. Double strain if you have a metal sieve.
• Garnish with an orange twist or a Biscoff cookie.

Keyword bourbon, breakfast, jam, jam cocktail, manhattan, marmalade

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!