telling phoebe

1 1/2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Tuesdays ago, I decided to make a drink out of a book that I purchased at my final visit to The Boston Shaker store before it closed for good, namely Raising the Bar book by Jacob Grier and Brett Adams. I soon flipped to the Fernet section and became entranced with the Telling Phoebe by Chantal Tseng due to the Fernet-Benedictine duo that I learned about in early Boston drinks like the Cadet and the Down & Brown and that I utilized in the Campo Viejo. Chantal created this as a homage to R.O. Kwon's The Incentiary during one of her recurrent literary cocktail theme nights. With sweet vermouth in the mix, it also reminded me of the Doberman.Once prepared, the Telling Phoebe proffered peat smoke, herbal, and menthol aromas to the nose. Next, grape, caramel, and malt notes on the sip gave way to smoky Scotch, gentian bitter, and minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.