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Excellent and well-rated at 4.5. Faintly reminiscent of a Martinez, the cognac and absinthe steer it in a different direction. Alchemy indeed. I could go 2 dashes of absinthe but recommend you start with 1.

Ford’s gin, Maison Rouge VSOP, Cocchi di Torino, La Clandestine. (I think The Botanist would be wonderful in this drink).

Sometimes a drink is just a sum of its parts – but in the Wiffin, the ingredients undergo an almost alchemical transformation, merging into something uniquely delicious... An instant favourite!

OMG where has this been all my life. Perfect evening cocktail. As a lover of absinthe, it is great. Did add a spritz of absinthe to the glass and over the top. Excellent.

Strong and delicious. I decided to spray my glass with absinthe before pouring the cocktail so I can taste it's there, but not too much. 5 stars.

Dilution and keeping the proportion of absinthe to a bare minimum do seem to be key here. So much so that I thought maybe just an absinthe rinse would be enough, and then thought why stop there, and substituted rye for the cognac. The result is quite good, but obviously not the same cocktail - one could call this variation the “Martinezerac.”

Per the comment from Simon about dilution, I tried serving with a single large ice cube in a rocks glass and sipping it, there is definitely an optimum dilution and it's more than you think. I'd also suggest using a dropper for the absinthe and tasting, it can quickly overwhelm the drink.

Definitely a ‘drinkers’ cocktail which leaves a freshness on the pallet. The perfect aperitivo.

A refined sweet martini. Excellent. Sampled this with Cocchi Dopo Teatro - I think it probably needs a rich vermouth - and Ableforth's Bathtub gin. This recipe is a keeper.

Sophisticated yet understated. Like this drink.