October 24th, 2006

A vote for the Ward Eight

Locke-Ober sign

If you’re planning on turning to alcohol to help decision-making in the voting booth this Election Day, go out and order yourself a cocktail that was invented in Boston for just that reason: the Ward Eight (whiskey, lemon juice and a bit of sugar and grenadine). If you want to be really authentic, you can order this cocktail at Locke-Ober (3 Winter Place near Downtown Crossing), where it was invented circa 1898. According to cocktail historians Gary and Mardee Regan, the Ward Eight was created the day, ahem, before the election to celebrate the apparently forgone victory of influential Boston pol Martin M. Lomasney, aka “the Czar of Ward Eight,” in the race for the state legislature. The earliest recipe for the drink calls for a splash of OJ, but most cocktail enthusiasts think that’s a bad idea and stick to the less sweet, simpler version. Anthony Giglio wrote an intriguing Boston Magazine article earlier this year about the “great Ward Eight debate” that a group of local bartenders and cocktail aficionados had about the origins of the drink.

The Ward Eight is extra tasty with real grenadine syrup (made from pomegranate juice, sugar and a dash of orange flower water), which you can find at some of Boston’s best bars, including B-Side Lounge, Eastern Standard, Green Street and No. 9 Park.

Permalink | Filed under Cocktails, Whiskey |

One Response to “A vote for the Ward Eight”

  1. Stephen

    locke-ober had not used real grenadine in years until that article came out so i made some for them…. (i used to work there)

    i make mine with no orange flower water but a little bit of clover honey…. though i’ve recently been turned onto the wonders of pairing pomegranite and hibiscus….

    grenadine is nice but i started making a pomegranite liqueur….
    (âme du fruit (soul of the fruit)… a pomegranite seed “ratafia”)

    of course i use cognac….then the seeds give a ghostly pomegranite flavor….and the hibiscus adds depth and color….

    so far its always available at restaurant Dante and makes an epic Jack Rose….. cheers.

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