Last Word
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 28.1% ABV ∙
The Last Word is a gin-forward sour of gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and fresh lime, shaken and served up. Herbal Chartreuse pushes forward first, maraschino answers with a cherry-almond sweetness, and fresh lime snaps the finish dry and clean.
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
- Shake hard with plenty of ice for a full 12-15 seconds; the Chartreuse and Maraschino need vigorous dilution to soften into balance.
- Measure precisely rather than free-pouring — since gin, Chartreuse, and Maraschino share close volumes with the lime juice, a small error skews the whole drink.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe through a fine mesh to catch ice shards, since the equal-part build gets a fine, aromatic sipping texture.
- Express the lime twist's oils over the surface and discard the peel, reinforcing the citrus without adding extra juice to the shake.
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, but Ted Saucier's 1951 cocktail book Bottoms Up! credited the drink to the Detroit Athletic Club and stated that it had been introduced in New York by vaudeville monologist Frank Fogarty, known as the "Dublin Minstrel," leading many later writers to assume 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, suggesting he more likely carried the recipe east to New York rather than creating it; some accounts nonetheless still credit him as the cocktail's inventor, and Saucier's book placed its creation around 1920 rather than 1916.
The drink fell into obscurity after Prohibition and World War II, surviving only in Saucier's book, until Seattle bartender Murray Stenson of the Zig Zag Café found the recipe in 2003 and put it on his menu, sparking its revival and spread through the cocktail renaissance of the 2000s.
FAQ
What is in a Last Word cocktail?
Gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice, shaken and fine-strained into a chilled glass. This build leans gin-forward, with the Chartreuse and maraschino balanced against the lime rather than in equal measure.
What is a substitute for Chartreuse in the Last Word cocktail?
Yellow Chartreuse or a similar herbal liqueur such as Yellow Chartreuse's spicier cousin, or Genepy, can stand in, though green Chartreuse's higher proof and stronger herbal punch are hard to fully replace. Some bartenders use Herbsaint or a green herbal liqueur blend, but 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. Jigger both carefully, and check that the lime juice is fresh, since it is what holds the sweetness in check.
