Henri de Toulouse Latrec, the famous and short-lived French artist who died at the turn of the last century, was said to enjoy this cocktail. Its name means “Earthquake,” perhaps in reference to its jarring effect on the human body.
The original recipe called for equal parts cognac and absinthe, but we like the updated proportions served by Chantal Tseng at The Reading Room in Washington DC: two parts cognac and one part absinthe, topped with a lemon twist.