This Last Word Cocktail is a classic drink made with equal parts gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice. Serve it straight up in a chilled glass for a refreshing evening sip!
Few things jazz up a gathering like a cocktail with a “conversation starter” of a name. The Adios MF cocktail is probably the best example of this. The Aviation Cocktail also falls into this category since it gives you the opportunity to chat about the early, glamorous days of air travel. (Yes, it used to be a luxury!)
And now, I give you, the Last Word Cocktail. A citrusy cocktail with a mysterious name. It’s served straight up in a chilled glass after being shaken with ice and is hard to mess up because all the ingredients (except the garnishes) are used in equal parts. If you’re looking for a simple cocktail to try on a hot summer’s eve, give this one a whirl!
What is a Last Word Cocktail?
Similar to the Aviation, the Last Word cocktail is a Prohibition-era drink. It was likely invented by a bartender at the Detroit Atheltic Club and many articles will tell you that bartender was named Frank Fogarty, but that is not accurate. Frank Fogarty was a vaudeville actor, not a bartender. But he did enjoy this cocktail and helped introduce it to the New York scene, where it quickly became one of the most popular drinks around.
The Last Word cocktail was largely forgotten after World War II, until Murray Stenson found it in a 1951 book titled “Bottom’s Up” and made it for his customers at Seattle’s Zig Zag Cafe. The rest, as they say, is history.
Where does the name come from? I did quite a bit of research looking for the answer, but no one seems to know for sure. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though – in fact, I’d say it makes a great conversation starter! Everyone can come up with their own theory and then you can vote on the most entertaining one. 🙂
What’s in this Drink?
The Last Word cocktail is made of gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice. You can serve it as is, or garnish the drink with a brandied cherry or a lime wedge/slice, according to your preference.
This drink is usually served “straight up” (no ice) in a coupe glass, which is a stemmed cocktail glass with a wide, shallow saucer. Of course, you can serve it in whatever glass you like! I do recommend chilling your glass of choice though as it helps keep your drink cold longer.
What Does Green Chartreuse Taste Like?
Chartreuse is a French herbal liqueur with a sweet, spicy flavor. As the name implies it is bright green or greenish-yellow in color. (Chartreuse is a fancy name for yellow-green.) This liqueur has been made by French monks since 1737 using a recipe composed of 130 different ingredients!
This is an Equal Parts Cocktail
The beauty of this cocktail recipe is that it’s simple: at its core, it’s just equal parts of all the ingredients (except the garnishes). This makes it easy to scale it up or down depending on how many people you are serving. Of course, the volume of your cocktail shaker is a limiting factor, so you may want to use a mason jar with a lid for two cocktails, or a pitcher filled with ice for a crowd. Strain into individual serving glasses before the ice has a change to melt and dilute your cocktail.
PrintLast Word Cocktail
This Last Word Cocktail is a classic drink made with equal parts gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice.
- Prep Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 4 minutes
- Yield: 1
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Shaker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3/4 ounce Gin
- 3/4 ounce Green Chartreuse
- 3/4 ounce Maraschino liqueur
- 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
- Garnish with a brandied cherry or lime wedge
Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add all the ingredients except the garnishes, then shake everything vigorously for about 20 seconds, until everything is chilled.
Strain into a class and garnish with a brandied cherry or a lime wedge, if desired.
Last Step:
Please share a rating and comment if you enjoyed this recipe! Your feedback helps this little blog thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Keywords: last word cocktail, gin cocktail, lime cocktail, prohibition drink
Filed Under:
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.