What should I do with this Dubonnet Rouge?

[jumpyg]

So after reading Eric Felten's "How's Your Drink," I decided to pick up a bottle of Dubonnet this past weekend. I made two cocktails, the Dubonnet Cocktail and Dandy Cocktail.

Dandy Cocktail
Ingredients:
1½ oz rye whiskey or bourbon
1½ oz Dubonnet (red)
½ oz Cointreau
1 dash Angostura bitters
Lemon and orange peel
Directions:
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Dandy wasn't bad, but it definitely isn't going into my regular rotation!

Dubonnet Cocktail
Ingredients:
1½ gin
1½ oz Dubonnet (red)
Dash of bitters (optional)
Directions:
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel. Or build drink on the rocks in old fashioned glass.

This just tasted awful. I like gin in a lot of cocktails, but I don't want it to predominate.

My wife and I also had some Dubonnet in aperitif glasses, and I really like it. I could definitely drink it that way, but wondered if there were any other "classic" cocktails requiring Dubonnet. Thanks!

[davis_sq_pro]

cocktaildb.com has 121 of them - go to the site and search by ingredient. It can also be used pretty much anywhere in place of sweet/Italian vermouth.

[jumpyg]

That's not a bad idea. I love a good Manhattan--will try it out.