I had just made some tart red cherry syrup and was looking for cocktail ideas when I came across the "Cherry Russell". Only thing was I was all out of Cocchi Americano, so I subbed in Dolin Dry vermouth and added 2 tiny drops of gentian extract to make up for the difference in bitterness. Works great! The sweet/tart syrup blends nicely with the cognac which together plays well off the light and herbal gin and vermouth, with those little drops of gentian bringing in an almost intangible wispper of bitterness.

Glad you liked it! Your substitution seems both appropriate and delicious in its own right... The gin/cognac combo felt a little weird "on paper," but after having some success with this drink, it's something I've been meaning to explore further.

Curated slightly - changed 10 year old Bourbon, Bulleit to Bourbon, Bulleit, with a note that the 10 year is specified.

very subtle and well balanced

This is delicious. I wil definitely make it again. It does need something a little bit more. Not sure what. Maybe cracked black pepper?

Can we change the name here? It may normalize violence against women .

I appreciate the concern about normalizing violence against women, particularly when it's already normalized widely in bars, and and when even craft cocktail culture (especially on the home hobbyist side) remains disappointingly male-coded.
I'm queer, I've served this drink under this name at queer events, and the name itself came courtesy of a queer woman, and in those contexts the name feels appropriate and understood in the right spirit. Your mileage may vary, and I welcome anyone who makes or serves this to call it whatever they like.

Would recommend 2+ d of Angostura bitters to top off the spice of the falernum.

A bit "hot" proof-wise which combined with the habanero heat yielded a more bitter than inviting apple/amaro flavor. I am a big fan of Averna and Carpano Antica so I expected more. (Note that I did use my own home-grown habanero tincture which I have been quite pleased with in other cocktails, but perhaps I am missing a drop or two of vinegar in the flavor?) It might be worth trying with Applejack 86 to reduce the alcohol heat a little. It is better as it warms with more of the amaro and vermouth coming through.

Quite potent (nearly 84 proof prior to ice dilution) but full of herbal flavor. This one adjusts ratios/components and pushes the herbal Nardini profile further than the Carroll Gardens (Death & Co.), reducing the sweetness while piling on with a generous amount of wormwood bitters--which have some cardamom and clove as their spice component and provide a more pronounced bitter finish. Both the Carroll Gardens and this one excel in their own ways.