After years of not doing so, I’ve recently started mixing cocktails again… maybe as a way to take my mind off of what a tire fire our society has become. 
Anyone else mixing up their own concoctions? Here’s a Manhattan variant that I came up with a few years back and rediscovered:
1.5 oz. bourbon or rye whiskey (I usually use 100-proof Bottled-In-Bond varieties, but lower proof would work, and I think Irish whiskey would be good here, too)
1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur (I’ve always used Luxardo)
1/2 oz. Amaro Ramazzotti
1/2 oz. red vermouth (use something good like Carpano Antica Formula or Vya if available)
Dash or two of Fee Bros. bitters
Optional cherry garnish
Stir with cracked ice, strain into cocktail glass, enjoy.
This one has a nice sweet start with just enough of an edge to encourage sipping instead of guzzling.
Earlier tonight, I discovered, much to my disappointment, that St.-Germain (an elderflower liqueur) has a rather short shelf life. Not from the standpoint of “drink this and you’ll get sick” so much as “all the flavor is gone.” I had a half-full bottle, not used for years, and noticed “hey, this looks darker than I recalled.” Against my better judgment, I put it into a Manhattan-style drink only to discover that the final result tasted like a plain-Jane Manhattan. (google, google) Oh, so in spite of being 20% ABV, it doesn’t keep. 
At least the Ramazzotti and the maraschino don’t have that problem. 
