Sometimes the best culinary and cocktail secrets lie just below the surface...and in the case of this drink, I mean that quite literally. I first encountered the Last Word many years ago at the Zig Zag Cafe, a beloved candle-lit spot hidden underneath Pike Place Market. It was there one night that a charming bartender with a knowing smile offered to mix me a "new" drink he had been tinkering with lately...."something rather special," he promised with a playful wink. And boy oh boy was he right. This pre-prohibition era cocktail, lovingly revived by legendary Seattle bartender Murray Stenson in the early aughts (and since widely popularized), is a truly splendid concoction. Sweet, sour, and pleasantly stiff, the Last Word perfectly balances some fairly unique flavors. And in those moments in life when you may come to find yourself at a loss for speech, it also makes for some pretty swell consolation.

Last word cocktail served in a coupe glass sitting on a brown tile counter in front of a wooden fireplace mantle decorated with fairy lights.

If you like classic cocktails, you may also enjoy the Corpse Reviver No. 2, Bee's Knees, Hemingway Daiquiri, and Jean Harlow Cocktail.

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Ingredients for the Last Word
Instructions for the Last Word
📖 Recipe

Ingredients for the Last Word

gin
Chartreuse
maraschino liqueur
fresh lime juice
ice
maraschino cherry (optional)

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for the Last Word

Add the gin to a cocktail shaker.

Then add the Chartreuse.

Next add the maraschino liqueur.

Finally, add the lime juice.

Place a maraschino cherry in the bottom of a coupe glass.

Toss some ice into the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.

Then strain into the coupe glass.

Serve immediately.

Hint: I highly recommend Luxardo for both the maraschino liqueur and the maraschino cherries here. Utterly delicious.

📖 Recipe

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Last Word

Sweet, sour, and pleasantly stiff, the Last Word perfectly balances some fairly unique flavors. This pre-prohibition era cocktail, lovingly revived by legendary Seattle bartender Murray Stenson in the early aughts, is a truly splendid concoction.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword classic, cocktail, special occasion

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings 1 drink

Equipment

cocktail shaker

Ingredients

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Chartreuse
1 ounce maraschino liqueur
1 ounce lime juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

Place the gin, Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker.
Place a maraschino cherry in the bottom of a coupe glass.
Toss some ice into the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into the coupe glass and serve.