Served in a Baccarat glass and garnished with an Amarena cherry set atop saffron, the L’Imperial contains ‘impossible-to-get’ vintage 1921-1926 green chartreuse
Hong Kong’s cocktails may be expensive, but New York has the Last Word, or at least a cocktail inspired by this 1920s party staple.
The Last Word cocktail was created in the Prohibition era and featured equal parts gin and green chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice. Back in the day it would have set you back 35 US cents.
The modern day version, called the L’Imperial however, will have you digging deeper into your pockets, with a price tag of US$5,000.
So why is it so expensive?
Served in a Baccarat glass – a favourite of the Russian Tsars – the cocktail alone costs US$1,400, but if you wish to keep the glass, then the price is US$5,000.
The garnish for L’Imperial has been created by two-Michelin-starred chef Gabriel Kreuther of Gabriel Kreuther Restaurant in New York City. He uses an Amarena cherry which is hand-pressed with gold leaf set atop saffron – the most expensive spice in the world.
The drink itself is made up of vintage green chartreuse circa 1921 to 1926, Maraschino liqueur aged in cherry oak, and clarified lime juice, and is accompanied by beluga vodka caviar pearls with kaffir lime.
The cocktail is available at New York’s Baccarat Hotel and was created by Antoine Hodge, the hotel’s bar and spirits director after acquiring an “impossible-to-get” vintage 1921-1926 bottle of green chartreuse.
Let us know if you have tried it.
Note – This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.
