Division Bell Cocktail

The Division Bell cocktail is a must try! Mezcal, Aperol, maraschino liqueur, and lime come together with a bitter, smoky and citrusy depth.

Here’s a fun modern classic drink to impress: try the Division Bell cocktail! This smoky, sultry and citrusy pairing of mezcal, Aperol and maraschino liqueur is bold and eye-catching. Each sip is intriguing and makes you both savor and immediately lean in for another. This cocktail is new to the scene, but riffs on a classic. It will have everyone talking!

Ingredients in the Division Bell cocktail

The Division Bell cocktail is a mixed drink made with mezcal, Aperol, maraschino, and lime juice, invented in 2009 by Phil Ward. The bartender at Mayahuel in New York City, he created a long list of tequila and mezcal-based drinks for the opening of the bar. He named this particular drink after the Pink Floyd album of the same name, which he listened to while constructing the bar. (He also created the Oaxaca Old Fashioned with mezcal for the same bar in 2007.)

This drink is a play on the Last Word, a classic cocktail from 1916 with equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime juice. If you’re a cocktail connoisseur, you might notice some similarities between this drink and the Naked and Famous, another drink that stars mezcal and Aperol and is also based on the Last Word. The ingredients for the Division Bell cocktail are:

• Mezcal
• Aperol
• Maraschino liqueur
• Lime juice

Grapefruit peel is optional but recommended

The classic version of this drink calls for a grapefruit peel for the garnish. Expressing the oils of the grapefruit peel over the drink is optional, but it adds nice citrus notes and an interesting complexity. It’s worth buying a grapefruit if you’re planning to make the drink!

Naked and Famous vs Division Bell

Both the Naked and Famous and Division Bell cocktails are a great way to use a bottle of mezcal or Aperol, if you have one. Naked and Famous was invented in 2011 by bartender Joaquín Simó while working at the bar Death and Co in New York City. He claims it to be a combination of the famous Last Word and the Paper Plane, another modern classic with Campari and bourbon. What are the flavor differences between the two?

• Naked and Famous is equal parts mezcal, Aperol, Chartreuse liqueur, and lime juice. Personally we find the Naked and Famous is a little more balanced, sweet and tart with a whisp of smoke.
• Division Bell has more mezcal than the other components of the drink, making for a smoke-forward sip. It has more of a dry finish and a little less complexity.

Personally, we prefer the Naked and Famous, so you can head to that recipe if desired! However, it does require a specialty liqueur (Chartreuse). If you have maraschino on hand, it’s a great option! We’d experiment with it as an equal parts cocktail to get more of a balanced flavor.

Mezcal adds smoky notes

Mezcal is a famous Mexican alcohol made from the agave plant. If you’ve had a drink at a bar in the last 5 years, you’ve probably tried something with mezcal in it! It’s absolutely worth adding to your collection. Here are some notes on this liquor:

• Mezcal is a type of alcohol made from the agave plant (like tequila). Tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. Only one type of agave plant (blue agave) makes tequila, but mezcal can be made from 11 different varieties of agave.
• What’s the best mezcal to buy? Go to The Best Mezcal at Any Price.
• What other cocktails use mezcal? So many! Try these tasty mezcal cocktails like the Mezcal Margarita, Mezcal Negroni, Mezcal Mule, and Mezcal Paloma.

All about Aperol

Aperol is an Italian bitter aperitif with a bright orange color and lightly sweet, citrusy flavor. It is most commonly used in the popular Aperol spritz, but you can make many other Aperol cocktails. It tastes lightly sweet, bitter, and balanced, with notes of herbs and citrus.

Another famous Italian aperitif you might know is Campari, the main ingredient in a Negroni. Campari was the first ever aperitif invented in Italy in the 1860’s. Aperol came along in 1919, and it was later bought by the Campari company in the 1990’s. We like using it mixed into cocktails because of the sweetness it brings.

More about maraschino liqueur

The last liqueur you need for a Division Bell cocktail is Maraschino liqueur. Don’t be fooled as we were when we started out: it’s not the liquid from a jar of maraschino cherries! Here’s what to know about maraschino liqueur:

• Maraschino liqueur is a clear, cherry flavored liqueur. It was invented in Croatia and is still made there, as well as in Europe and the US. The flavor is mainly dry but lightly sweet, with hints of sour cherry and almond.
• There are several brands of Maraschino liqueur, the most popular being Luxardo. It should be easy to find at your local liquor store or online.
• Use up leftovers in classic Maraschino cocktails like the Hemingway Daiquiri, Martinez, Last Word, El Presidente, and the Aviation.

Related drinks

Love the Division Bell cocktail? Here are a few more related drinks you’ll love:

• Try the classic Last Word, 1916 cocktail
• Make a Naked and Famous, a Last Word-riff invented in 2011 with mezcal and Aperol
• Try the Paper Plane, a Last Word-riff invented in 2007 with Campari and bourbon
• Go for Oaxaca Old Fashioned, a mezcal drink invented by the same bartender (Ward) in 2007
• Try all our Aperol Cocktails, Mezcal Cocktails, and Maraschino Cocktails

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Last Word Cocktail

02

Top 11 Aperol Cocktails

03

Top 10 Mezcal Cocktails

04

Guide to Maraschino Liqueur & Top Cocktails

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