Staff Blog
A modern postscript to the Last Word?
posted by Felicia D'Ambrosio
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| Yana Paskova for the New York Times |
| Damon Dyer prepares a Monte Cassini |
On Christmas Eve, the New York Times highlighted a 500-year old ingredient that is making a comeback with crafty cocktail bartenders in NYC. Bénédictine, originally crafted by French monk Dom Bernardo in 1510 as a medicinal elixir, has grabbed the attention of mixologists who value its bitter, herbaceous flavor profile. Read the article for the full story on Bénédictine’s evolution through the centuries, but if you like a drink that delivers the full range of cocktail happiness — bitter, sharp, acidic, sweet and round on the tongue — run over to one of our many fabulous cocktail bars and ask for Louis 649 bartender Damon Dyer’s newest concoction, a Monte Cassini.
As writer Jonathan Miles notes, the Monte Cassini’s equal parts Bénédictine, lemon juice, yellow Chartreuse and 100-proof Rittenhouse Rye whiskey will appeal to fans of the cultish Last Word, a classic imbibe of equal parts green Chartreuse, lime juice, Maraschino liqueur and London dry gin.  The reason I advise? Green Chartreuse was de-listed by the PA LCB about three months ago, making it a Special Liquor Order only. With a new glut of avid bar managers seeking the stuff, it’s become impossible to find.
With Green scarce and Yellow just barely hanging on, I feel in need of a drink. Bartender, a Monte Cassini, please?
