A whiskey sour with a Boston accent. Orange juice rounds off the lemon, grenadine adds a rosy blush and a hint of pomegranate, and spicy rye keeps it firmly grown-up.
2 oz
rye whiskeye.g. Rittenhouse · Bulleit · Sazerac · Wild Turkey · Old Overholt
½ oz
lemon juice
½ oz
orange juice
¼ oz
grenadine ideally homemade from pomegranate
Garnish: Cherries on a pick · Ice: Served up, no ice
Ward 8
Tart and fruity with lemon and orange, a light pomegranate sweetness and the peppery spice of rye underneath. Medium-strong and very easy to drink.
The Ward 8 is Boston's best-known contribution to the classic cocktail canon. According to the popular story, it was created in 1898 at the Locke-Ober restaurant to celebrate the election of Martin Lomasney, the powerful political boss of Boston's Ward 8, to the Massachusetts legislature. The details vary between tellings, and some historians doubt the story, but the name has always been tied to that ward and its political machine.
Whatever its exact origin, the drink belongs to the whiskey sour family, sweetened with grenadine and softened with orange juice, and it was turning up in American bar books in the early 20th century. It has come back onto menus since the cocktail revival, especially in Boston.
It refers to Boston's eighth ward and, according to the popular story, to the 1898 election victory of its political boss Martin Lomasney.
Rye is the classic choice and keeps the drink spicier and drier; bourbon makes it softer and sweeter.
Yes. It is traditionally served up, but it works well over ice in a rocks glass on a warm day.
The perfect sound
A spirited Boston saloon with politics in the air.
Reader rating
Thanks for rating
Updated:
