Heart's Cocktail

Heart's Cocktail is an all-liquor rocks drink with wormwood and cinchona bitterness that is surprisingly well balanced. The recipe specifies Irish whiskey because of the sweetness of the grain composition. I've made it here with Teeling Irish whiskey, which sits on the dry edge of Irish whiskeys and has a sugary finish that I think is due to aging in ex-rum barrels.

This is one of those few cocktails like the Earthquake and Thunderclap that I am a little afraid to drink. These are simply equal parts of strong liquors that would likely fight with each other, and they are frighteningly strong. Absinthe is 110-proof and Teeling is 92-proof. I was surprised how much Pernod is called for, and even though I substituted absinthe which is even more dry, the drink was still very balanced and, yes, very strong. I guess that's why it's named after somebody named Heart, which is the English translation of the French "courage."

• 2 oz. Irish whiskey (Teeling used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Antica Formula used)
• 1 oz. Pernod (Absinte Refined used)
• 3-5 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into an Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice.