Last Word

A pre-Prohibition, gin-based gem.

Last Word Cocktail Recipe

One of the few surviving Prohibition-era drinks, the Last Word originated at the Detroit Athletic Club, where it was most likely mixed with bathtub gin during America’s dark days of temperance. Ted Saucier, author of 1951 cocktail manual Bottoms Up! attributes the invention to vaudeville monologist Frank Fogarty, whose wit often earned him the last laugh. The cocktail was revived in the early aughts when bartender Murray Stenson, formerly of Seattle’s Zig Zag Café, came across the recipe while researching old bar manuals. It quickly became a staple at the Zig Zag and a beloved revival within the cocktail world.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 3/4 ounce gin
  • 3/4 ounce gin
  • 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
  • 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
  • 3/4 ounce lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo
  • 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo

Garnish: brandied cherry

Directions
  1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add ice and shake until chilled.
  3. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
  4. Garnish with a brandied cherry.