Last Word
An equal-parts Prohibition-era classic from Detroit, revived a century later — gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime in perfect balance.
About the Last Word
The Last Word is an equal-parts classic — gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice, shaken hard and strained up. Despite the deceptively simple build, it’s a complex, herbal-forward drink where every ingredient pulls its weight.
Its origins trace to the Detroit Athletic Club, where club archives place it on the menu as early as 1916 — at the time its most expensive cocktail. Ted Saucier’s 1951 cocktail manual “Bottoms Up!” credits its invention, or at least its popularisation, to vaudeville monologist Frank Fogarty, known for always getting the last laugh.
The drink fell into obscurity for decades until Seattle bartender Murray Stenson of the Zig Zag Café rediscovered it in an old bar manual in the early 2000s and put it back on his menu, sparking its revival as a modern craft-cocktail staple.
The Classic Recipe
Classic Last Word — Serves 1
- 3/4 oz (22.5ml) gin
- 3/4 oz (22.5ml) green Chartreuse
- 3/4 oz (22.5ml) maraschino liqueur
- 3/4 oz (22.5ml) fresh lime juice
Method
- Shake all four ingredients hard with ice.
- Double strain into a chilled coupe.
- Serve without garnish, or with a simple lime wheel.
Tips for the Best Last Word
- Measure precisely. Equal parts means a heavy hand with either the Chartreuse or the maraschino throws off the balance quickly.
- Shake hard. A vigorous shake and a double strain give a clean, well-chilled pour.
- Go gin-forward if you like. Bumping the gin up slightly, to around 1 oz, gives a less sweet, more spirit-forward pour.
- Use fresh lime. Bottled lime juice won’t cut through the liqueurs’ sweetness the same way fresh juice does.
- Don’t be put off by the specialty bottles. Both Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur are widely available at well-stocked liquor stores.
Popular Variations
Final Ward
Phil Ward’s direct riff, swapping in lime for lemon and rye whiskey for gin.
Naked and Famous
Uses mezcal in place of gin and Aperol in place of maraschino, for a smokier, more bitter-orange take.
Bourbon Last Word
Bourbon stands in for gin, keeping the same equal-parts Chartreuse-and-citrus template.
Aged Rum Last Word
Aged rum in place of gin, for a richer, more molasses-forward variation on the formula.
How to Serve
Glass: A chilled coupe — the Last Word is served up, not over ice.
Ice: None in the finished drink — used only to shake it cold.
Batching for a crowd: Pre-batch all four equal-part ingredients together and keep it cold; shake individual portions to order with ice just before serving.
Related Database Entries
Explore the key ingredients and spirits in this cocktail: