Farewell Kiss

• 2.0 oz. Juniper-forward gin (Copper & Kings Moons Over Juniper)
• 0.5 oz. Yellow Chartreuse
• 0.25 oz. creme de cassis
• 0.25 oz. Cocchi Americano
• 0.25 oz. lime juice
• dash of Virtue Rose Alpine Sage bitters

Shake with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with cherry and lime.

Ok, here’s a confession. I love The Last Word, but I really dislike Maraschino liqueur. So often when I want that makeup for a drink I explore other ways to achieve it.

Here I really wanted that juniper aspect of the gin to shine through, so I lean heavily on the Copper & Kings offering as the base. For sweet, I opt for cassis, which can also add some tartness which allows me to pull back on the lime. Some additional sweet and bitterness comes from the Cocchi, and the piney bitters for me help to highlight that Juniper in the gin.

I made this drink at the end of 2020, so turning that last word into a farewell kiss seemed the perfect gesture. Although in retrospect I was too polite with my goodbye.