The Ward 8 or Ward Eight is a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

originating in 1898 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the bar of the

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

restaurant Locke-Ober. In 1898 Democratic political czar Martin M. Lomasney hoped to capture a seat in the state's legislature, the

General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. 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. In 1915 the Santa Clara Company registered "Ward 8" as a trademark with the United States Patent Office claiming use since November 1912 and published a notice that they would prosecute any infringement. During

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

the ''Daily Boston Globe'' reported that the drink was believed to have originated at the "old" and abandoned Quincy House. Competing but unfounded myths abound in print and on the Internet. One story reports that it originated in New York in an area known for

political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary, but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, in ...

, another that the cocktail is a traditional drink of the Scots 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 Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

and even single malt scotch. Some recipes call for lemon juice, lime juice, no juice, grenadine, sour mix and gomme syrup. The Santa Clara Company trademark described their product as "Compounds of Whisky, Grenadine-Syrup, Rock-Candy Syrup, and Lime-Juice." Following the end of prohibition, Locke-Ober reopened its bar using this recipe: *2 ounces

rye whiskey Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and o ...

*1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice *1/2 ounce fresh orange juice *1 teaspoon grenadine *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 The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the flag of Massachusetts. It has been represented by official but limited-purpose flags since 1676, though until 1908 it had no state flag ''per se'' to represent its government. A variant of th ...

References

;Additional sources * * *

External links

Boston cocktails site
{{Cocktails Cocktails with whisky Food and drink introduced in 1898

Ingredients and preparation

See also

References

External links