Well, here it is: the end of 2009. It’s been a great year for Dan and I, personally and professionally. Our wedding, the weddings of some very dear friends, lots of interest in the website, my ever-expanding garden and some excellent job fortunes have all added up to a pretty stellar year. We feel blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by our wonderful family and an incredible group of talented, supportive, loving friends. All in all, 2009 has turned out better than we could have hoped and we have even higher hopes for 2010. There are travel plans in the works and lots of fun adventures ahead so bring it on, new year!

Speaking of which, before we close out the archives on 2009 we have to recap the ten most popular cocktails on the site this year. I’ve excluded the Cocktail Archive—which was technically the third most popular page on the site this year—in favor of actual posts, but feel free to peruse it for inspiration in tonight’s festivities. And so, here are the ten most popular cocktails on SLOSHED! in the past twelve months:

1. Blood Orange Margarita
2. Home Bar 101
3. Brandied Cherries
4. Corpse Reviver #2
5. Satan’s Whiskers
6. Pumpkin Cider
7. Le Tourment Vert
8. Violet Fizz
9. Bourbon Renewal
10. Snowshoe

And to close the year out right, there is one final cocktail for the books. The Last Word is aptly named, as it is generally a last word in many respects, being both a fine and rather strong concoction. Simple and tasty, this is one of our favorite gin cocktails any time of the year and we hope you’ll like it too. Use it to bid adieu to this year or ring in the new, or just to savor one of the little pleasures whenever you need one.

½ oz gin
½ oz green Chartreuse
½ oz maraschino liqueur
½ oz lime juice

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I have printed the recipe as-is, though I generally find that half an ounce of maraschino is too much for my taste. Generally we use a quarter ounce in our Last Words, but in the interest of accuracy I’ve let the original version alone. Otherwise, this drink is just right, with the botanical deliciousness of gin and Chartreuse, the aromatic sweet-dryness of the maraschino and the tang of lime juice all coming together for a great little two-ounce tipple.

And on that excellent note we close out the old year in favor of the new. Merry New Year, and a safe, happy, fun night to you all!