The Last Word is a bootlegger cocktail from Detroit, Prohibition-era. Built on london dry gin, served in a coupe, around 26% ABV. Equal parts. Forgotten for sixty years until Murray Stenson rediscovered it at Seattle's Zig Zag Café in 2003 and put it on the menu. By 2008 it was on every cocktail menu in America.
What goes in a Last Word?
- ·3/4 oz gin
- ·3/4 oz green Chartreuse
- ·3/4 oz maraschino liqueur
- ·3/4 oz fresh lime juice
How do you make a Last Word?
- Add all four ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard until very cold.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
What should you know before making a Last Word?
- Use real green Chartreuse (110 proof), not yellow. Yellow is sweeter and lighter; the cocktail needs the green's herbal grip.
- Maraschino liqueur is Luxardo Maraschino Originale, not the syrup from cherries. They are not the same product.
- Equal parts is the entire recipe. Adjusting to taste destroys it.
Where did the Last Word come from?
Equal parts. Forgotten for sixty years until Murray Stenson rediscovered it at Seattle's Zig Zag Café in 2003 and put it on the menu. By 2008 it was on every cocktail menu in America. The Chartreuse is what makes it; nothing else has that bitter-sweet herbal complexity.
According to Detroit Athletic Club, attributed to vaudevillian Frank Fogarty; first printed in Ted Saucier, Bottoms Up (1951).
What cocktails are similar to a Last Word?
Common questions.
What is in a Last Word cocktail?
Equal parts (three-quarters of an ounce each) London Dry gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice. Shaken cold and double-strained into a coupe.
Why is the Last Word called the Last Word?
Vaudevillian Frank Fogarty performed a comedy bit called 'The Last Word' on the Detroit circuit in the 1910s. The bartender at the Detroit Athletic Club named the drink for him.
What's the difference between green and yellow Chartreuse?
Green is 110 proof, herbaceous, bracingly bitter. Yellow is 80 proof, softer, with more honey character. The Last Word requires green; yellow makes a different drink.
Can you make a Last Word without Chartreuse?
No. Every alternative has been tried (Bénédictine, Strega, Galliano). Nothing replaces green Chartreuse here. If you cannot find Chartreuse, drink something else.