frisson

1/3 jigger Amaro (1 oz Fernet Branca)
1/6 jigger Cognac (1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840)
1/6 jigger Cherry Brandy (1/2 oz Cherry Heering)
1/2 Egg White

Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Two Saturdays ago for the cocktail hour, I began flipping through Boothby's World Drinks and How to Mix Them and spotted the Frisson. When I saw the combination of amaro and cherry liqueur, I immediately thought of the Pinto from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 and selected Fernet Branca to match. Moreover, Fernet would complement the drink's name which means "a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill." Once mixed, the nutmeg garnish melded elegantly with the Fernet Branca's menthol aromas. A creamy caramel sip led into a cherry and brandy swallow with a Fernet Branca finish. Like the Pinto, the Cherry Heering helped to temper the Fernet Branca's intensity although the egg white here also probably helped considerably.