Surprisingly, despite not having any real base spirit, this Boulevardier inspired riff works. Admittedly, I don't find Malort horribly bitter, and I use it as a single note bitter and drying agent for overly rich cocktail recipes. Also my bottle is now 2+ years old so it could be losing some wormwood intensity even in a dark cabinet. The Abano provides a slightly earthy, herbal connection to the wormwood and red berry/grape of the vermouth. It is an extremely dark brown.

Note: I grabbed the wrong bottle of amaro out of the cabinet the first time, Amaro di Angostura. While it sort of worked, the flavor was thinner and did not connect things as well.

This is an intriguing combination. I suspect the particular grappa/vermouth combo will have a lot of influence on the result. I used Bellini Grappa del Chianti and Carpano dry, and Fee orange bitters. Carpano dry was selected for its more complex garden herb character. The Drambuie's moderate honeyed Scotch blended well with the grappa yielding a slightly woody/freshly shelled walnut.

Thanks for the comments! Agree that the grappa-vermouth combo would have an impact on the outcome. I'm certain that I used Gra'it grappa and Dolin dry vermouth for this one.