Cocktail Recipe: The Defendant

The Defendant, at Drink

This cocktail is in the family tree of The Last Word, which has spawned a wide variety of drinks from the Final Ward, to the Naked and Famous, Asterisk, Dernier Mot, and the Prosecutor. On paper, they pretty much all look like they would be really bad ideas, but are much tastier in practice. In my opinion, the Naked and Famous is still a really bad idea, but I know several people who adore it, so it's sort of a "De gustibus non est disputandum" problem.

The Defendant, if you couldn't guess, is the sister cocktail to the Prosecutor, and was created by Ezra Star at Drink. It's sweet, complex, and has a little thicker feel to it than many cocktails.  The falernum, which can vary widely by brand or bar (depending on whether they make it in house) adds some nice spice notes like ginger and allspice.  This cocktail also does very well in gummy bear form.

The Defendant:

 3/4 oz. Mezcal (I prefer Vida)
3/4 oz. Maraschino
3/4 oz. Falernum
3/4 oz. Lemon Juice

Combine with ice, shake, then serve. If desired, garnish with a maraschino cherry (the real ones, not the nuclear red ones that are used on ice cream sundaes).

Final Analysis

Financial Outlay: These are not ingredients that you find in most people's house bar. The initial outlay for ingredients can be steep. So definitely try this in a high quality cocktail bar before laying out cash for ingredients that you may only ever use once. You may have to go to a higher end cocktail bar to get one though, as falernum is not all that common.

Time: Measure, shake, pour, drink.  Takes no more time than any other shaken cocktail.

Quality: With the same ingredients and attention to mixing, making one at home turns out just as good as one from a skilled bartender.

Fun: If you like cocktails, and like making cocktails, then I suppose it is fun.