Enlists misanthrope sinking bottles (5,2)
I believe the answer is:
ropes in
'enlists' is the definition.
'misanthrope sinking bottles' is the wordplay.
'bottles' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (bottling is a kind of containing).
'ROPES IN' can be found hidden inside 'misanthrope sinking'.
(Other definitions for ropes in that I've seen before include "Gets involved" , "Recruits" , "Involves" .)