terrible love

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal (Montelobos)
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur (Salers)
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
At the nightcap hour after my Saturday shift two weekends ago, I turned to the Death & Co. Cocktail Book for a recipe. There, Phil Ward's Terrible Love from 2013 called out to me for the combination of gentian and elderflower liqueurs worked rather well in The Root and the Flower and the Prieure de Sion. Once mixed, the Terrible Love shared a grapefruit and smoke bouquet. On the palate, the pear-like flavor from the St. Germain on the sip gave way to smoky agave and earthy gentian on the swallow with an orange and floral finish.