We've already spoken about or fondness for the classic cocktail that is the Last Word, but we haven't spoken about the dozens on dozens of riffs that have been created over the years - whether they have been documented or not, we know they're out there. It's a bartenders favourite, so it's only natural that there be a multitude of riffs, and as soon as we first tasted Muntrie Gin, the first thought was to add one of our own into the ether.

The distinct flavour of apples that screamed from the glass of Muntrie Gin immediately made me think of Yellow Chartreuse - which may seem odd. A few reasons why that's the case, and they all stem from the legendary Adelaide cocktail bar Maybe Mae.

One: the very first time I had a Last Word I was there, where I asked Bartender Nick Corletto to make me a cocktail that he felt like making at the time, and he thrust a Last Word upon me (probably because it's an equal parts drink) - and of course I loved it. 

Two: On another visit to Maybe Mae, I was thrust another beverage by another epic bartender Michael Keogh who was tinkering with a competition entry from memory - the two ingredients I can really recall were Yellow Chartreuse and a bespoke Pear Eau de Vie, distilled by Maybe Mae. Again - like most drinks in the basement - I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it's always hung in the back of my brain, one of those drinks you can't shake (it was stirred). 

It lept to the forefront of my brain when I tasted Muntries, likely due to the Apples and Pears thing, but the tertiary spice notes from Riberries and Cinnamon Myrtle really tied it together. So in a bit of a nod to the Last Word and the (many) drinks consumed at Maybe Mae, we crafted a Word on Muntries. Suze adds a bit of a bitter edge, leaning the drink more towards aperitif drinking - if it's too bitter, you can turn the 15ml of Suze into 7.5ml and add 7.5ml Maraschino liqueur!

a word on muntries

45ml Muntrie Gin

20ml yellow chartruese

15ml lemon juice

15ml suze

add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. shake and double strain into a chilled nick and nora. garnish with geraldton wax (use the flowers if you have them!)