imbibe [red hook, or a very cherry manhattan]

If you, like me, are constantly ordering your bf to add more grenadine and cherries to your Manhattan, it may be time you try a Red Hook. Basically we're replacing half the sweet vermouth with maraschino liquor, Dolan and Luxardo in our case (although many recipes I've seen call for Punt e Mes). 

It's a lovely drink, maybe my new go-to. The bitters are optional, but a nice balance to the sweetness. Or something. Maybe I just don't like recipes with so few ingredients and had to toss a few more in there. I've always said a mixer is 2 ingredients and tastes like college, a cocktail starts at 3 and tastes like...business school?

If this is too sweet for you, maybe give the Brooklyn a try- less maraschino liquor, and a dry vermouth instead. More on that later, obviously.