If you’ve been running Bramble successfully in Queen Street for six years or so then the chance comes to open a second basement cocktail bar, but in Stockbridge, you’d give it a go, wouldn’t you?
Much more of a neighbourhood venue than its stablemate, The Last Word has less of the twilight mystique of Bramble but feels more accessible, with friendly staff, a wall-mounted squirrel (modest by the standards of most hunting trophies) and no shortage of expertise in the mixology stakes. There’s a bar snacks menu (cheese board, pickles, nuts, olives) but the focus is very much on the drinks; whether you just want a decent pint, a glass of wine, Scotch, or a cocktail, of course. For the indecisive, or someone in a hurry, the bar’s Simple Serves selection is a godsend, offering crowd-pleasers like blended Scotch with cream soda, or rum with grapefruit soda.
A signature drink always seems like a good idea in a cocktail bar and here it’s the startlingly green Last Word Revisited: Beefeater gin, clarified Chartreuse, Maraschino and lime oleo saccharum (the sweet, citrussy oil you get when you muddle lime zest with sugar). Yes, they really do make that much of an effort and, yes, it is fabulous.