Sunset Cocktail: Hearn (and Herne)

Happy St. Patrick’s day. While it’s a quite night in here at home, it just wouldn’t seem right to not have a little Irish Whiskey. I came across this when looking for more Chartreuse drinks and figured it would be a perfect one for the holiday. I subbed the Knappogue Castle 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey with Jameson and the The Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters with Angostura as this was what I had. I made a point to use Butterfly Boston Absinthe, not only because it’s one of my favorites, but since it was from a Boston based recipe I figured it fit in well with the St. Patrick’s day idea.

What also intrigued me about this drink was the name Hearn. A quick search didn’t turn up the origin of the name but I don’t think it was a reference to the Legend of Herne the Hunter… which would have been very cool. While sipping the first Hearn drink at sunset, and with just about all of the ingredients layed out before me, I quickly tried to make a variation of the Hearn (which, in itself may be a variation of The Brain Duster which is a variation of a Manhattan but could also be a Tipperary Cocktail) and make a Herne Cocktail. 

I was originally thinking of swapping out the Vermouth for Elderflower Liqueur but those ratios wouldn’t work at all with an ounce and a half Liqueur to the ounce and a half Whiskey. For expediency, I swapped out the Chartreuse with the Elderflower instead. It sort of worked, but the original is much better. Maybe, should I feel the need to make a Herne the Hunter drink, I’ll start somewhere else… I think with a woodier whiskey.