Last Word
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 25.1% ABV ∙
The Last Word is a shaken gin sour with green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and fresh lime juice, served up in a coupe.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 40 mlHerbal liqueur (e.g., Green Chartreuse) 20 mlMaraschino liqueur 10 mlLime juice 20 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lime twist over the cocktail and discard
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Give it a hard 12–15 second shake with plenty of ice; the Chartreuse and maraschino need that water to soften.
- There's only 10 ml of maraschino against 20 ml each of Chartreuse and lime, so use a jigger; a small slip throws the whole drink off.
History
The Last Word is a gin cocktail that originated at the Detroit Athletic Club in Detroit, Michigan, shortly before Prohibition. Club archives show the drink listed on a souvenir menu as early as 1916, when it was the club's most expensive cocktail at 35 cents.
Its true inventor is unknown. Ted Saucier's 1951 cocktail book Bottoms Up! credited the drink to the Detroit Athletic Club and stated that it had been introduced about thirty years earlier by vaudeville monologist Frank Fogarty, known as the "Dublin Minstrel." Many later writers took this to mean Fogarty himself invented it. Detroit Athletic Club research indicates the cocktail was already on the club's menu months before Fogarty's documented visit in December 1916. Saucier's "about thirty years" would also put Fogarty's introduction around 1920, several years after the drink reached that menu. Fogarty, then, more likely carried the recipe from Detroit east to New York than created it.
The drink fell into obscurity after Prohibition and World War II until Seattle bartender Murray Stenson of the Zig Zag Café found the recipe in Saucier's book in 2003 and put it on his menu. That sparked its revival through the cocktail renaissance of the 2000s.
FAQ
What is in a Last Word cocktail?
40 ml London dry gin, 20 ml green Chartreuse, 20 ml fresh lime juice and 10 ml maraschino liqueur.
What is a substitute for Chartreuse in the Last Word cocktail?
Yellow Chartreuse or génépy can stand in, though green Chartreuse's higher proof and stronger herbal punch are hard to fully replace. Expect a milder, less complex result.
Is a Last Word shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The lime juice needs the aeration and quick chill of a shake; stirring would leave the drink flat and under-diluted.
Why does my Last Word taste too sweet or medicinal?
Almost always an over-pour of the liqueurs. Green Chartreuse and maraschino are intense, and even a small excess buries the gin and lime. Measure both with a jigger, and use fresh lime juice, since the lime keeps the sweetness in check.
