CLASSIC · STRAIGHT RYE WHISKEY

Final Ward

Name: Final Ward
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 drink
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 22.5 ml Straight rye whiskey; 22.5 ml Green Chartreuse; 22.5 ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur; 22.5 ml Fresh lemon juice; Lemon zest twist

Rye whiskey steps into gin's shoes in this celebrated riff on the Last Word, pairing its spicy, grainy backbone with Green Chartreuse, Maraschino, and fresh lemon juice in equal measure - a quartet that achieves something genuinely greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

Straight rye whiskey22.5 ml

Green Chartreuse22.5 ml

Luxardo Maraschino liqueur22.5 ml

Fresh lemon juice22.5 ml

Lemon zest twist

Glassware

Coupe glass

Chilled.

Flavor

Anise · Juniper · Cardamom · Black pepper · Oak · Lemon · Honey

Estimated profile

A cigar alongside More like this

Method

1
Chill a coupe glass.
2
Combine rye whiskey, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and fresh lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
3
Add ice and shake vigorously for 10–12 seconds.
4
Fine strain into the chilled coupe glass.
5
Express a lemon zest twist over the surface of the drink, then place it on the rim or float it as garnish.

From the Bartender

The Final Ward is widely attributed to bartender Phil Ward, who created it at Death & Co in New York City around 2007. Its genius lies in the equal-parts structure - a format borrowed directly from the Last Word - which demands quality in every bottle, as there's nowhere to hide.

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