The Ward 8 or Ward Eight is a cocktail originating in 1898 in Boston, Massachusetts at the bar of the Gilded Age

Gilded Age

In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...

 restaurant Locke-Ober

Locke-Ober

Locke-Ober, located at 3-4 Winter Place, is the third oldest restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts, after the Union Oyster House and Durgin-Park . Locke-Ober features French cuisine and seafood.-History:...

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In 1898 Democratic political czar Martin M. Lomasney

Martin Lomasney

Martin Michael Lomasney was a Massachusetts politician. He served as State Senator, State Representative, and Alderman...

 hoped to capture a seat in the state's legislature, the General Court of Massachusetts. Lomasney held considerable power in the city for nearly 50 years. The story goes that the drink was created to honor his election, and the city's Ward 8 which historically delivered him a winning margin. Competing, but unfounded myths abound in print and on the Internet. One story purports that it originated in New York in an area known for political corruption, another that the cocktail is a traditional drink of the Scottish Guards.

Ingredients and preparation

Like the story of its creation, there are several variations of the Ward 8 cocktail. Various recipes call for blended whiskey, bourbon, rye, and even single malt scotch. Some recipes call for lemon juice, lime juice, no juice, grenadine, sour mix, and gomme syrup.

Following the end of prohibition, Locke-Ober reopened its bar using this recipe:

• 2 ounce
  Fluid ounce
  A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
  
  s rye whiskey
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
  Lemon juice
  The lemon fruit, from a citrus plant, provides a useful liquid when squeezed. Lemon juice, either in natural strength or concentrated, is sold as a bottled product, usually with the addition of preservatives and a small amount of lemon oil.-Uses:...
  
  
• 1/2 ounce fresh orange juice
  Orange juice
  Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
  
  
• 1 teaspoon
  Teaspoon
  A teaspoon, an item of cutlery, is a small spoon, commonly part of a silverware place setting, suitable for stirring and sipping the contents of a cup of tea or coffee...
  
   grenadine
  Grenadine
  Grenadine is traditionally a red syrup. It is used as an ingredient in cocktails, both for its flavor and to give a reddish/pink tinge to mixed drinks. "Grenadines" are also made by mixing the syrup with cold water in a glass or pitcher, sometimes with ice....
  
  
• Maraschino cherry (optional)

Shake the rye whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice, and grenadine with ice; then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, if desired. Originally the drink was decorated with a small paper Massachusetts flag

Flag of Massachusetts

The commonwealth of Massachusetts' flag in the United States has been represented by official but limited-purpose flags since 1776, though until 1908 it had no state flag per se to represent its government. A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts...

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External links

• Boston cocktails site