The Last Word Cocktail Recipe: A Closer Look at the Timeless Blend

by Ria Balane September 19, 2019

The Last Word Cocktail is quite a peculiar alcoholic beverage. The combination of gin, Maraschino Liqueur, Green Chartreuse and lime juice result to the drink's sharp and complex flavors. Such distinct sweet and sour relish proved to be satisfactory through time and time again and have hailed the recently rekindled The Last Word as one of the classic cocktails.

The Last Word Cocktail Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz Green Chartreuse
  • 1 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 oz Gin Dark cherry

The Last Word Cocktail Preparation:

  1. Pour the ingredients of equal parts into a shaker tin.
  2. Add ice and shake well.
  3. Strain the mix into a coupe glass.
  4. Top it off with a dark cherry and serve.

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Recipe Variations

On the taste-testing event that Punch held for The Last Word recipes last October 2018, the winning submissions prove to be an interesting bunch:

Know Your Ingredients!

Out of all the cocktails from the Prohibition Era, what makes The Last Word exceptionally good?
  • Lime Juice - Lime extract is an ingredient found in many cocktail recipes. As such, ready-made lime juice products are made available in the market.
  • Green Chartreuse - Liqueur that originated in France, the Green Chartreuse was first produced by Carthusian monks after they received the recipe from a friend of the Order. Another version of this beverage is the Yellow Chartreuse.
  • Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur - The "secret weapon" in this recipe is made of distilled Marasca cherries.
  • Gin - This widely-used spirit is a product of distillation, specifically of grains and juniper berries.
  • Dark cherry- These sweet, mahogany red-colored berries are the perfect garnish for The Last Word.

Bar Accessories

Make sure these accessories are on your shelf if you're planning to prepare a glass or two of The Last Word:
  • Citrus Juicer -A convenient tool to aid you in case you prefer squeezing the juice out of lime with your own hands.
  • Shaker Tin - No pub or home bar can be complete without a shaker, as it is a necessity for cocktail mixes especially those served on the rocks.
  • Strainer - Another bar essential, the cocktail strainer separates the ice cubes from your drink.
  • Coupe Glass - Just like the Paper Plane , The Last Word is one of the many cocktails that is specifically served in this type of glass.

The History

The Last Word cocktail was first served in the Detroit Athletic Club bar during the Prohibition Era in 1920. It was featured in Ted Saucier's 1951 bartender guide entitled "Bottoms Up! " and stayed in the menu for the said bar and in several other pubs around the US for several years until eventually it lost its supporters and was taken off of the list. The credit for this drink being recognized again recently all goes to Seattle bartender Murray Stenson, who added it to the Zig Zag Café's menu last 2005. He found the recipe in a copy of Saucier's book that he found while he was rummaging through the bar's documents.

The Rise in Fame

It was as if the drink had fallen into oblivion for several years but thanks to Stenson, The Last Word found its way back up the popularity charts, and became one of the most sought-after classic cocktail drinks today. Cocktail enthusiasts from the US, Canada and the United Kingdom specifically seem to have taken a liking to the drink, and folks from Washington, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon and California are its top patrons. In other news, the legendary bartender was diagnosed with a heart condition last 2018 that required him to undergo surgery. Thankfully, those who were inspired and influenced by Stenson's years of excellent work decided to return their gratitude by initiating a fundraising activity for his fast recovery.

The Perfect Pair

Planning to prepare this drink for a party? The taste of this cocktail could be quite tricky, so it's actually best served alone. But we recommend serving this cocktail alongside simple bread, plain dishes and desserts that are not too sweet, so as not to clash with the flavor of the cocktail.

See What Others Think

We get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Updated: September 11, 2019.
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