The intercontinental cocktail has name every bit as evocative as its fragrance; a first-class ticket in a glass. Cognac is a powerful force to unify the other two ingredients; amaros vegetal notes and the strange funk of maraschino are rounded out and the effect is faintly chocolatey. It has a sort of old-fashioned flavor that would make one think it was invented at some chic european bar in the mid-20th century, but its actually a modern recipe, from some time in the late-00s. Its the brainchild of duggan mcdonnell, proprietor of the now-defunct cantina in san francisco. Mcdonnell also wrote a lovely book about san franciscos cocktail history, called drinking the devils acre: a love letter from san francisco and her cocktails.