The Red Hook
The Red Hook: A Brooklyn-Born Modern Classic
The Red Hook cocktail was created by bartender Enzo Errico at Milk & Honey in New York City around 2003-2004. Errico named the drink after the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn, continuing the tradition of New York borough-named cocktails like the Brooklyn and Manhattan, according to Punch.
The cocktail is a variation on the Brooklyn cocktail, which itself is a riff on the Manhattan. Errico's innovation was using Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth with pronounced bitterness, instead of standard sweet vermouth. This substitution creates a more complex flavor profile that balances the rye's spice with bitter and sweet elements, as noted in Difford's Guide.
The Red Hook quickly became popular in craft cocktail bars during the mid-2000s cocktail renaissance. The drink exemplifies the period's emphasis on forgotten spirits and liqueurs like maraschino, along with the rediscovery of rye whiskey as a cocktail base.
The cocktail's success helped establish it as a contemporary classic, appearing in bartending manuals and cocktail menus worldwide within a decade of its creation.
RECIPE:
2 oz rye whiskey
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
Cocktail cherry for garnish
Method:
Add rye whiskey, Punt e Mes, and maraschino liqueur to a mixing glass with ice.
Stir until well-chilled, about 30 seconds.
Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish with cocktail cherry.