cabaret cocktail

1 oz Hendrick's Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Lillet Blanc (Cocchi Americano)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (1/2 bsp St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Saturdays ago, I began perusing the Stir Your Soul book that compiled all the drinks of the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail convention. The one that caught my eye was a riff on the Cabaret Cocktail from the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book that was served at The Great Bourbon Street Burlesque Clubs seminar that year. The classic Cabaret is equal parts dry gin and Caperitif (a South African aromatized wine) with dashes of Angostura and Absinthe; here, Lillet and Benedictine substituted for that once defunct ingredient (a modern version was launched in 2015) along the lines of an embittered Embassy Jubilee.
This take on the Cabaret welcomed the nose with anise and a slightly fruity aroma. Next, a sip with a touch of body and hints of peach notes bowed to a gin, herbal, chocolate, and anise swallow with a minty and cinnamon finish.