Spelling Check
Look carefully, you may have mis-read the name of this cocktail. It’s not actually the Last Word – it’s The Final Ward, a somewhat famous variation on the famous cocktail.
Phil Ward created this cocktail during his tenure at Death & Co, and later went on to open another New York staple cocktail bar – Mayahuel. I consider this cocktail to be one part of a larger cocktail scene. Hard to believe 2005 is ten years ago now – but looking back, the influence of Ward and his Death & Co compatriots Brian Miller, Joaquin Simo and Alex Day is easy to see in the East Village today.
The Difference
Ward replaced the traditional spirit of Gin with Rye whiskey – which then required swapping the lime for lemon juice. This simple swap results in an entirely different cocktail that’s just as great as the original.
Better yet, this one uses very few unusual ingredients, so as long as you have our good friend Chartreuse behind your bar, you can probably make this drink tonight! (Highly recommended, by the way.)
The Final Ward
Equipment
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer optional
- 1 Cocktail Picks optional, for garnish
Ingredients
- 3/4 oz Rye Whiskey Sonoma Distilling Company
- 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse Green Chartreuse
- 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Maraschino Luxardo
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
- Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
- (Optional) Garnish with Maraschino cherries.
Is this shaken dry or with ice? I’m assuming the latter, but it’s not clear from the instructions.
You’re right, that wasn’t clear. It’s shaken with ice – I’ll update it now. Thanks!
Shaken?…. its Rye, shouldn’t it be stirred?
Hey Calvin, there are several different schools of thought on what should be shaken vs stirred, but we generally shake (and then fine-strain) drinks with citrus juice, regardless of the spirit.