Okay, here's what I came up with after a couple of attempts:
- 2 oz blanco tequila (I use El Mayor)
- 3/4 oz dry vermouth (Dolin)
- 1/4 oz Amere Sauvage
- 1/4 oz honey syrup
- rinse Herbsaint (or absinthe)
Serve in a coupe with a grapefruit twist.
My first go had an ounce of vermouth which was maybe too much, a barspoon of honey syrup which was definitely too little, and fennel bitters instead of the pastis rinse. This is a better balance. The Amere Sauvage, a "savage" gentian Alpine liqueur, is by far the most aggressive flavor but all of the others counter it well, each in its own way. (I would guess Suze would be a sub more likely to have on hand, but I'm unsure about whether/how the proportion would be adjusted for that.) I was thinking about vegetal herbaceous flavors that could be drawn out of the starter ingredients.
Thanks for the fun challenge!