Stir with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass or pour over a large rock.
There was more peppery bite to the cocktail than the overall alcohol content might suggest, which provided a great deal of character, and confirmed that bourbon was a better choice than rye for this drink. There is ample room to change ratios or to use another rucolino (arugula amaro). Cherry Heering might sub well for the Ginja.
Espinheira Ginja liqueur is a maceration of ginja (morello cherries) in alcohol and sugar and is Portugal's most popular fruit liqueur. After tasting both it and the arugula based Amaro Cinpatrazzo, I sensed that the vegetal bitterness of the arugula amaro would work well with the cherry and bourbon.
The concoction's unexpected flavorful heat and reddish brown hue reminded me of the effectiveness of a good counterpunch, hence the name.