swine & roses

1 1/4 oz Barbados Rum (RL Seale 10 Year)
1 1/4 oz Cognac (Plantation Ambre)
1/2 oz Falernum (Velvet)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass rinsed with absinthe (Kübler), and garnish with a lime twist on the edge of the glass.

Two Wednesdays ago, I mentioned in an internet thread on the Corn'n'Oil about how there was an old Cognac-based one that distiller Richard Seale found in a 1911 book. The rum version has won out over time, but I had to imagine that the French brandy choice was the aristocrat's version as it was in America in the Julep and other drinks. Therefore, I wondered what it would be like as a split-base cocktail using both Cognac and Barbados rum, and the split base with rum reminded me of the rye-Cognac Sazeracs that I rather enjoy. Therefore, I took the riff in that direction by adding Peychaud's Bitters and an absinthe rinse to the mix, but I opted for a lime instead of lemon twist.
The original's name was derived from Deuteronomy 11:13-15, and after searching related Bible verses, I got frustrated in the hopes of finding something that worked. The name Swine & Roses popped into my head from the 1990 dance club hit "The Days of Swine and Roses" by the band My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, and it seemed to flow. Once prepared, the Swine & Roses offered up a lime and anise aroma to the nose. Next, a slightly caramel sip led into Cognac, rum, lime, ginger, clove, and anise flavors on the swallow.