CLASSIC COCKTAIL · 2000–present
Division Bell
Mezcal, Aperol, maraschino and lime in equal parts: the smoky, bittersweet Last Word riff from Mayahuel.
2009Modern classicResearched
Phil Ward made the Division Bell at Mayahuel, the mezcal bar he opened in New York in 2009, working from the same equal-parts skeleton as the Last Word: mezcal instead of gin, Aperol instead of Chartreuse, maraschino and lime unchanged. Smoke and rhubarb-orange bitterness carry it, and the lime keeps the whole thing from turning soft. It is named after the Pink Floyd album, which is the kind of joke that fits a bar opened in 2009.
- It became a fixture of mezcal sections on modern menus, often paired with the Oaxaca Old Fashioned as the two mezcal standards.
- Division Bell with a grapefruit twist
- Naked and Famous (mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse, lime)
“Aperol’s lower proof is what makes the equal-parts build drinkable at this strength.”
THE RECIPESmoky, bitter and tart
Ingredients
- Mezcal22.5 ml
- Aperol22.5 ml
- Maraschino liqueur22.5 ml
- Lime juice22.5 ml
- Orange twistto garnish
Method
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an orange twist.
Coupe · no ice · orange twist