The Final Ward

Another riff on the Last Word, I present the Final Ward:

• 3/4 ounce straight rye whiskey (100 proof)
• 3/4 ounce green chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. Express a lemon zest twist over the top and discard. Garnish with brandied cherries.

When I was first introduced to this cocktail, I thought it was called the Final Word, which would be a progression on the Last Word (followed, I assume, by the Penultimate Word and the Ultimate Word, and no I haven’t looked those up but they probably exist). Instead it is the Final Ward, named after its inventor, Phil Ward, and I appreciate the pun.

Naked and Famous

As a fan of equal proportion cocktails such as the Last Word, I’m surprised it has taken me so long to try the Naked and Famous.

• 3/4 ounce mezcal
• 3/4 ounce yellow chartreuse
• 3/4 ounce Aperol
• 3/4 ounce lime juice

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. No garnish.

Invented by Joaquín Simó when he was at Death & Co., it is described as “the bastard child born out of an illicit Oaxacan love affair between the classic Last Word and the Paper Plane”, the latter being another drink I haven’t tried, mainly through an inability to source Nonino Quintessentia amaro.

Forgotten Cocktail #1

I used to travel a lot, and perhaps one day I will again, and in every new town I would often seek out a cocktail bar.

Looking at the menu, I’d try to pick out something that matched my mood at the time and often something I had never had before. If it was really good, I’d ask the bartender for the recipe, which I would write down on whatever scrap of paper I happened to have handy.

Hotel Nacional Special

Another one from Cuba: the Hotel Nacional Special:

• 3 or 4 (1-inch square) pineapple chunks
• 0.75 ounce lime juice
• 0.50 ounce SC Demerara Syrup
• 0.50 natural apricot liqueur (such as Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur or Gifford Abricot du Roussillon)
• 1.5 ounces blended lightly aged rum

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the pineapple chunks with the lime juice and syrup. Add the apricot liqueur and the rum, then fill with cracked or cubed ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe.

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Hermosa Beach

From Connor at the Oakleaf, it’s the Hermosa Beach:

• 0.50 ounce lime juice
• 0.50 ounce Demerara Syrup
• 2.00 ounces reposado tequila
• 4-6 chunks of strawberry
• 1 large bruised basil leaf

Muddle strawberry and basil in a shaker glass. Add other ingredients and strain over a large cube of ice. Garnish with a small basil leaf.

This is a fine drink that lends itself to a lot of off-topic comments.

First, this demonstrates what I love about true craft cocktails. I often refer to people who make them as “cocktail chefs” instead of bartenders, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the term “bartender”, it’s just that I want to illustrate what goes in to a great cocktail recipe. In this case it is seasonal ingredients like the strawberries and fresh basil. Just as chefs will use nature as a template for meals, a good bartender will look toward the same sources for inspiration.

Whoa Nellie!

A new classic, it’s the Whoa Nellie!:

• 1.25 ounces rye
• 0.75 ounce dark rum
• 0.75 ounce Cointreau
• 4 dashes Angostura bitters
• 0.50 ounce lemon juice
• 0.50 ounce grapefruit juice
• 0.50 ounce simple syrup

Combine all of the ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

My friend Ben and I share a fondness for whiskey, and together we have a decent collection. Unfortunately, we live more than an hour apart, so it made sharing them difficult until we decided we could just bring them to work. Thus “Whiskey Monday” (#whiskeymonday) was born.

Golden Gun

Courtesy of the Cocktail Wonk, it’s the Golden Gun:

• 0.75 ounce lime juice
• 0.50 ounce grapefruit juice
• 0.50 ounce SC Demerara Syrup
• 0.50 ounce natural apricot liqueur (such as Rothman & Winter Apricot Liqueur or Gifford Abricot du Roussillon)
• 1.00 ounce blended aged rum
• 1.00 ounce blended lightly aged rum
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Fill a Collins or highball glass with cracked or cubed ice. Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with cracked or cubed ice. Shake and strain into the glass. Your choice of garnish.

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