Cocktail recipe
The Last Word
A startling equal-parts harmony of gin, lime, cherry and green herbs.
Ingredients
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) gin
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) green Chartreuse
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) maraschino liqueur
- 22.5 ml (¾ oz) fresh lime juice
- Garnish: none
Preparation
Measure each of the four components precisely; this drink exposes even small imbalances. Shake with ice until sharp and cold, then fine-strain into a chilled coupe without garnish.
Glassware
Chilled coupe
History
The Last Word is associated with Detroit Athletic Club cocktail culture around the Prohibition era. A recipe appeared in Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up (1951), which credits the club and performer Frank Fogarty. Murray Stenson famously helped revive the forgotten drink at Seattle's Zig Zag Café in the early 2000s. The exact identity of its first creator is not securely established.
Mixology View
Equal parts are the identity of this drink. The revival story is better documented than a single inventor claim, and both deserve to be told.