Closing Argument
- 1 oz mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
- 3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
- 3/8 oz maraschino liqueur
- 3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
We discovered the Closing Argument in Difford's encyclopaedic cocktail website while looking for mezcal drinks. It is one of many riffs on the Last Word, some of them appearing on our site: Crop Top, Naked and Famous and also the Lumière.
The Closing Argument simply swaps the gin in the Last Word for mezcal and in doing so improves the drink. It adds a subtle smoky taste from the mezcal. We use Del Maguey Vida mezcal, as suggested by Difford's, but for a little more smoke you might try Ilegal Joven instead. The Last Word, and the original recipe for the Closing Argument, is an equal parts recipe but we feel that adding a little more of the spirit and a little less of the maraschino creates a more balanced drink.