Last Word
Gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime in equal parts. Herbal, sharp and strange.
- Time
- 4 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Coupe
- Strength
- 3.2 UK units
How to make a Last Word
- Chill the glass. Fill a coupe with ice and water and leave it while you make the drink.
- Measure carefully. Pour equal measures of gin, Chartreuse, maraschino and lime juice into a shaker. Use a jigger: this drink falls apart if one part is off.
- Shake hard. Add plenty of ice and shake for about 12 seconds, until the tin is frosty and too cold to hold for long.
- Double strain. Tip out the ice water, then strain through a Hawthorne strainer and a fine strainer into the coupe. The drink should be pale green and slightly cloudy.
- Glass
- CoupeNo coupe? A small wine glass or a martini glass.
- Ice
- No ice
- Garnish
- A cocktail cherry on a pickOr: None. It is traditionally served bare.
What you need to make a Last Word
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Fine strainerA small tea strainer catches ice shards.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
Bottles we'd use
- Green ChartreuseThere is no real substitute. It is a French herbal liqueur made by monks, and a bottle goes a long way.Find it on Amazon
- Luxardo MaraschinoDry, funky and cherry-pit bitter. It is the standard, and it is not the same as cocktail cherry syrup.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Last Word story
Most accounts place its origin at the Detroit Athletic Club around the time of Prohibition. It was mostly forgotten until a Seattle bartender found the recipe in an old book in the early 2000s and put it back on the menu, after which it spread around the world.
Equal parts is easy to remember, but every ingredient is strong, so it all needs to be measured accurately. Green Chartreuse is herbal and powerful, maraschino adds a bitter cherry sweetness, and lime holds them together. If it tastes too medicinal, use a little more lime.
Last Word: your questions answered
What is in a Last Word?
A Last Word is made with 25 ml London dry gin, 25 ml green Chartreuse, 25 ml maraschino liqueur and 25 ml fresh lime juice. Garnish: a cocktail cherry on a pick.
Is a Last Word shaken or stirred?
A Last Word is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Last Word?
Made to this recipe, a Last Word contains about 3.2 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Last Word in?
Serve a Last Word in a coupe. No coupe? A small wine glass or a martini glass.
