julien sorel

1/2 oz Courvoisier Cognac (Camus VS)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a flute glass, and top with champagne (Gruet Blanc de Blancs). Twist a lemon peel over the top (I included the twist).

After the Vatican City, I wanted one more drink to round out my Saturday night post-shift libations. Therefore, I began flipping through the Death & Co. Cocktail Book and stumbled upon Phil Ward's variation on the Last Word, the Julien Sorel, that he created in 2008. This variation stood out in two ways: Cognac as the spirit and it being a sparkling cocktail. I have had another sparkling wine Last Word-like drink, the Afterword, as well as a beer one, the Word to Your Mom, but the Cognac part was unique.
The Julien Sorel gave forth a lemon oil aroma that covered nutty Maraschino notes. Next, the sip was a combination of the lemon and sparkling wine, and the swallow shared the Cognac and subtle Maraschino and Chartreuse herbal notes. Definitely, the sparkling wine helped to lighten the flavor profile here.