back word

1 1/2 oz Oxley Gin
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Syrup
1 dash Berg & Hauck's Lemon Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon peel boat impaled by a short sprig of rosemary.

After Ben Sandrof's Sureau Fizz, bartender Joseph Cammarata pointed out a new menu item, the Back Word that he and bar manager Sam Treadway had created. The Last Word variation, subtitled "a reversal of the Last Word," used yellow instead of green Chartreuse and Lillet and lemon bitters instead of lime juice. Moreover, in place of Maraschino liqueur, they opted for the syrup from Luxardo Maraschino cherry jars as Hawthorne had done with their Fino Swizzle. I was definitely intrigued so I gave Joe the thumbs up.
The rosemary in the garnish contributed greatly to the Back Word's bouquet especially since its placement during the sip was often right under the nose. The sip was full of cherry and citrussy notes, and the swallow offered up gin and savory herbal flavors from the Yellow Chartreuse and ended rather cleanly. With the rosemary, gin, Chartreuse, and citrus notes, the Back Word conjured pleasant memories of Jamie Boudreau's Rubicon.