The Last Word Cocktail KitOne of the most popular vintage cocktails revived by the current cocktail renaissance, the Last Word was created at the speakeasy of the Detroit Athletic Club during prohibition, making it one of the few original drinks to survive our dark national experiment. It's also become a favorite of Bartenders to riff on, using its easy equal parts formula to get creative with all kinds of substitutions. But it's hard to beat the classic template, and it's

toffee brittle

Based on the original 1862 formula this bitter harkens back to an earlier time

It drinks even older with its deep cherry notes and light tannic finish

where they finish their aging together in Ferrand Cognac barrels

with celery seed

a particularly fine-grained type of Japanese oak

aka the clubhouse where golfers grab a post-round drink

Cointreau's amber bottle conceals a perfectly transparent liqueur

red fruit jam and vanilla transition to a bit of spiced oak before a finish with baking spices

maraschino cherry

as Bay Area as burritos

The perfect balance of aromatics and texture