The Last Word Cocktail

HISTORY OF THE LAST WORD

The Last Word cocktail is an equal-parts cocktail sporting botanical notes from gin and Green Chartreuse with a subtle hint of nuttiness from Maraschino Liqueur. The combination of lime juice and Chartreuse shaken into a cocktail glass gives this drink a light, pale green, almost opalescent appearance. Despite its powerful components, the Last Word cocktail is a light and bright, and its finish is long and contemplative.

This cocktail was developed during the Prohibition era, originating from the Detroit Athletic Club’s bar in the mid 1920s. It was served at the bar all through this period and was spread further away from home by vaudeville entertainer Frank Fogarty. The revival of the Last Word’s popularity began around the early 2000s when bartender Murray Stenson added the cocktail the menu at the Zig Zag Café in Seattle. It has since become widely more popular than its origins during the Prohibition Era.

VARIATIONS ON THE LAST WORD COCKTAIL

As The Last Word gained more popularity across the country following its revival in Seattle during the Cocktail Renaissance, many bars started putting their own twist on the cocktail. Some variations include using different spirits (like over-proof gin, white rum, or even agave spirits), while others manipulate the formulation away from a “perfect” ratio of ingredients to achieve different types of balance.

Popular riffs include:

• The Paper Plane
• The Last of the Oaxacans
• Naked and Famous

One thing to consider when attempting a Last Word Cocktail variation is whether you want to maintain that perfect ratio or strike off to find your own creative way of negotiating between the complex Chartreuse, bright lime juice, and silky maraschino liqueur.