The Last Word Recipe

About the The Last Word

The Last Word is a delightfully piquant and aromatic cocktail, sweet enough for the newcomer yet sharp enough to appeal to any cocktail purist. A standout from the classics and an obsession of many cocktail enthusiasts, the Last Word cocktail was originally served in the Detroit Athletic Club during the early 1920s, and has more recently enjoyed a modern renaissance after being rediscovered by bartender Murray Stenson of the famed Seattle Zig Zag Cafe.Such is the popularity of the Last Word cocktail, that it has spawned a number of eponymous bars across the country, including The Last Word in Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as The Last Word in Astoria, Queens, New York.What's in a Last Word?A Last Word is an equal parts cocktail, but unusual in that it has four components (it is far more common for equal parts cocktail to have three). These are gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and Green Chartreuse.A wide array of gins can be used, although preferably in the London Dry style. There's no "exact" maraschino that must be used, though chances are it will be Luxardo. However, the ingredient that really has no substitute is Green Chartreuse, a high-proof, herbaceous liqueur made by French monks according to a closely guarded recipe. It's this component that provides the Last Word with its slightly pungent taste.The History of the Last Word The Detroit Athletic Club is universally assigned as the Last Word's birthplace, though the exact year that it surfaced is less clear. While it is often described as a prohibition-era cocktail, research has since shown that it first appeared on the Detroit Athletic Club's menu in 1916.While the drink eventually fell out of popularity, it was immortalized by author Ted Saucier in his 1951 cocktail recipe book Bottoms Up! Remarkably, the first book to publish its recipe is also responsible for its early aughts renaissance: in 2005 Murray Stevenson discovered the Last Word in a 1952 edition of the book, and revived it at the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle.How to Make a Last WordTo prepare a Last Word, you must first gather your ingredients: gin, fresh lime juice, maraschino liqueur and Green Chartreuse. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until chilled, then double-strain the contents of the shaker into a chilled coupe glass. Add a maraschino cherry if you're feeling particularly fancy, and serve.Popular Gins for a Last WordConsidering that the other components used to make the drink each have a strong character of their own—acidic citrus juice, herbaceous Green Chartreuse and sweet maraschino liqueur—you'll want to use a gin that is capable of cutting through those ingredients. In other words, a London Dry-style gin with a sufficiently high proof.Tanqueray and Bombay should do the trick, though Beefeater is perhaps the best bang-for-buck option. Alternatively, you can take the cocktail in a different direction by utilizing Hendrick's, whose more vegetal character will lean into the herbal qualities of Green Chartreuse.