Rye with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth — the 'Perfect Manhattan', drier and more nuanced.
In cocktail terminology, 'perfect' doesn't mean 'very good' — it means 'equal parts sweet and dry vermouth'. A Perfect Manhattan uses half sweet, half dry vermouth; a Perfect Martini uses half dry, half sweet vermouth (rarely ordered). The equal-parts vermouth balance creates a more complex, nuanced drink that's less sweet than the standard Manhattan.
The 'Uptown Manhattan' label is sometimes used to distinguish the equal-parts version from the standard, though both names refer to the same drink. The choice of rye rather than bourbon is particularly important here: rye's natural peppery spice provides the backbone that keeps the drier dry vermouth from making the drink thin.
Standard Manhattan — 2 oz rye, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 2 dashes bitters. The sweet version, closer to what most bars serve.
Use 1 oz dry vermouth and no sweet vermouth. Very dry and spirit-forward — often served with a twist, never a cherry.
The Scotch version: replace rye with blended Scotch. The Scotch's complexity plays interestingly against the two-vermouth balance.