Last Word cocktail recipe

The Last Word is a Prohibition-era cocktail originating in Detroit, Michigan. It’s thought to have been created by a bartender at the swanky Detroit Athletic Club, then introduced to New York City by Frank Fogarty, a popular vaudeville performer dubbed The Dublin Minstrel. It proved to be an incredibly popular cocktail, long outlasting Prohibition, and the recipe eventually made its way into a 1951 cocktail book by Ted Saucier. From here, it sadly faded out of the limelight until being rediscovered by Murray Stenson, who worked the bar at a Seattle cafe. He started serving it up to customers and boom – the word was out, and the world is better for it.

Why is the Last Word so delicious? It just kind of works, when maybe it shouldn't. Chartreuse – which has been made by French monks for centuries – is a herbal liqueur, at odds with the cherry flavours of maraschino, but the two actually complement each other perfectly. Add a good gin and zesty lime juice, and you’ve got the recipe for a complex cocktail that’s a little out there, but always tasty. It’s bound to keep everyone at the party happy, from cocktail geeks to those who like to keep things simple.

If you love the Last Word, you’ll be happy to know there are plenty of variations to experiment with. The most well known is The Final Ward, which was created by bartender Phil Ward and replaces the gin with rye whiskey and the lime juice with lemon. Using Irish whiskey will give you a Dublin Minstrel, named, of course, after Frank Fogarty, while mezcal creates what’s known as a Closing Argument. And yes, the combination of mezcal, Chartreuse and maraschino may sound strange, but trust us, it’s well worth giving it a go!

Alternatively, you can try mixing up your gin base to subtly change the cocktail’s flavours – most gins will do the job well. Choosing a juniper-heavy London dry gin will lend the cocktail a piney taste, while Plymouth gin, for example, will bring more citrus notes. And given there are so, so many gins to – from all around the world – to choose from, you'll soon find your favourite to use as a base for The Last Word. In other words, there’s no last word on how to make The Last Word, and that’s a very good thing for us budding mixologists.