“The Ward Eight was born in Boston's Gilded Age political scene at the Locke-Ober Café in 1898, created to celebrate Martin M. Lomasney's election to the state legislature. Lomasney, nicknamed 'the Mahatma,' controlled Boston's eighth ward through his powerful political machine. Bartenders were so confident of his victory that they created the celebratory cocktail in advance. The drink quickly became Boston's signature cocktail and was featured in Esquire's top ten cocktails of 1934, though it suffered during the mid-20th century ingredient quality decline before being rescued by the craft cocktail renaissance.”