Our recent Last Word tasting had a fairy tale ending when the recipe from The Last Word, a cocktail bar in Astoria, Queens, won top honors. The recipe, by Paddy O’Brien, was straightforward aside from the gin, which was bumped up from three quarters of an ounce to a full ounce, and was the fairly obscure Warwick Rustic Gin, a juniper-forward craft spirit from New York State that was unfamiliar to the panel. Still, the judges found it piquant, well-integrated, with a creamy middle palate and pleasing lower-register notes throughout.
Paddy O’Brien’s Last Word
Paddy O'Brien, The Last Word | Astoria, NY

Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce gin, preferably Warwick Rustic Gin
- 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
- 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
Garnish: maraschino cherry
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin and shake with ice.
- Strain into a chilled Nick and Nora glass (there will be excess liquid for a sidecar).
- Garnish the sidecar with a maraschino cherry and serve alongside.