Since I started doing my weekly Thirsty Thursdays, I've been spending a lot more time researching (and happily consuming) cocktails. Looking through various recipes has made me sorely aware of what I'm lacking in my own home bar. If you're trying to keep a well-stocked home bar, obviously you're going to want your base spirits: rum, vodka, etc. and there are a number of easily acquired syrupy-sweet liqueurs that you can find at any self-respecting liquor store: triple secs, Kahlua, Amaretto, and so on.
While these are fantastic in the correct application and have well-deserved recognition as standards for the home bar, there are so many underappreciated liqueurs finally starting to see a rise in popularity; many of which have been staple ingredients for some of the most delicious classic cocktails for over a century... and I really think you should get better acquainted with em'.
There are way too many to list them all, but I'll rattle off a few examples. You can find wholly unique and complex herbal distillations like Benedictine: a delightfully floral concoction; and Chartreuse (in green and yellow varieties): a sweet but spicy recipe - both of which have interestingly been made by monks for hundreds of years. Talk about holy spirits! Some are a more direct distillation of a specific flavour, like Cointreau for orange, or Maraschino for cherry. There are also a number of typically bitter aperitifs like Cynar and Campari, usually of Italian origin that; while aren't for everyone, I have been assured are extremely agreeable if you have the palette for them. If you can't tell, this is something I regrettably lack. I'm working on it. Hopefully not perpetually... thankfully I don't have to worry about that with today's deceptively potent, but beautifully balanced cocktail:
The Last Word
3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
Optional maraschino infused cherry and/or lime twist for garnish
Admiringly add your awesome ingredients to a shaker with ice, and give it at minimum an admissible shake. With a mesh strainer, masterfully administer to a coupe glass, garnish as desired, and finally, I would admonish you to meticulously maneuver this memorable mixture toward your mouth-hole.