Cocktailia

Red Hook

• 2 ounces rye
• 1/2 ounce Punt e Mes sweet vermouth
• 1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
• Dash of Angostura bitters
• Dash of orange bitters

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir until cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The Red Hook is a variant of the Manhattan, with half the vermouth and the addition of the maraschino. When I served it to Sarai without telling her what it was, she said “It smells like a Manhattan…”

This recipe usually calls for up to 1/2 ounce of maraschino, but I nearly always tone it down a bit, as maraschino is so sweet that you risk upsetting the balance of the drink. The proportions above worked great, but I think I’ll try it with Rittenhouse 100 next time instead of Sazerac rye. This drink originated with Enzo Errico at NYC’s Milk and Honey.