Manhattan? Actually, It's a "Boy Martini"

A Brooklyn bar offers a whiskey-and-bitters drink in its Martini lineup rather than as a Manhattan. A viral skit shows a customer ordering a Manhattan and being told it is a “Boy Martini,” described as like a Martini but with whiskey and a dark profile. The bar’s marketing approach is tied to sales data showing strong performance from Martini variants, leading to prominent menu placement. The name is chosen for humor and to encourage interaction, including debate and reactions to how the drink is prepared in the video versus the real version. The real Boy Martini is stirred, aligning with classic preparation.

"You can certainly get a Manhattan at the Brooklyn location of , the kitschy bar that also has locations in Manhattan and Miami, but it's not on the menu that way. Instead, you'll find the combination of rye, sweet vermouth, and bitters in the Martini section-because at Ray's, it's not a Manhattan; it's a "Boy Martini.""

"In a skit posted by the bar in March , a customer orders a Manhattan. "You mean a Boy Martini?" the bartender responds, describing it as "like a Martini, but it has whiskey and it's dark, so it's for a boy, like you." The video racked up over 3 million views on TikTok and Instagram, and was imitated by bars like Austin's ; Nashville's The Amsterdamian ; and Bristol, England's Her Majesty's Secret Service ."

"Both the video and the drink are really a matter of savvy marketing, explains Dylan Wells, general manager of Ray's Brooklyn. After taking stock of the best-selling items at the end of 2025, "it became very apparent to us that we were very much a Martini bar," he says. Espresso Martinis and classic Martinis performed well; Pornstar Martinis were seeing an uptick. In January, "we started breaking out our best-selling Martini variants and putting them on our menu front and center.""

"There's a level of engagement bait to it all, as proven by the spirited comments on the skit. Namely, the drink in the video is shaken, prompting plenty of horrified responses; the actual Boy Martini is, as it should be, stirred. "It doesn't totally look like a Manhattan in the video," Wells admits."

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