Tried it with Averna and gin and really enjoyed it.
Followed Michael Z's suggestion and substituted Ron Zacapa for the gin and WOW!
Deep and contemplative indeed!

This is a "grown up drink" (my boyfriend's assessment).

I may never leave the house again.

PS Don't skip the orange twist

A lovely, restrained sipper. We thought commenter Michael's suggestion worth a try and used Plantation Original Dark in place of the Gin...made, for us, a deeper, more contemplative drink, equally lovely.

This was great! I made this with Lustau Palo Cortado Peninsula, Amaro Meletti, (unaged) Genever from Wigle in Pittsburgh, Ancho Reyes and Angostura Cacao bitters. Unusual build that I want to explore more.

Very tasty.
(I've tried with 15 ml of Vecchio Amaro del Capo and 20 ml of dark rum (Havana Club 7 años) instead of gin).