Improved Whiskey Cocktail

First off — what a powerful name for a cocktail. Straightforward, almost postmodern in its simplicity.

The drink itself is an odd bird — transitional, as Tuxedo No. 2 describes it, a little more complex than an old fashioned but lacking the elegance of a Manhattan or any of its base-liquor-bitters variations.

I only made one instance of this drink, and I confess that it was a poor one: following Tuxedo No. 2's recommendation, I went for a relatively light and unopinionated whiskey (Suntory) — and it absolutely folded under the weight of the absinthe (Herbsaint). The result was not bad exactly so much as not what I thought the drink was meant to be, which was something a little more boisterous and rococo than the welterweight sazerac I ended up with.

If I were to remake this drink, I'd make two amendments: use a high-proof bourbon (I'm thinking of the Bottled-in-Bond Old Grandad 114) and atomize the absinthe instead of mixing it in directly. (The most interesting element of this drink has hitherto been unmentioned: the maraschino liqueur, which I had never used outside of an Aviation and I can report to being surprisingly subdued!)

2/18/2023
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