Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Getting in The Last Word

For my first cocktail post on this blog, I turn to a current favorite of mine: The Last Word, a prohibition-era cocktail that apparently has its origins at the bar of the private Detroit Athletic Club. I first had one at Drink, situated in Boston's Fort Point neighborhood and part of Chef Barbara Lynch's Boston empire. Served in a cocktail glass, this drink calls for four ingredients in equal portions (gin, lime juice, green Chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur). A maraschino cherry makes for a nice garnish. As in all drinks calling for maraschino cherries, I highly recommend investing in real cherries available at The Boston Shaker or even on Amazon.
For the gin, you don't need to turn to the high-end botanical or citrus heavy-hitters like Hendricks or Tanqueray Ten. I myself do not prefer Bombay Sapphire (even on its own), but instead enjoy Plymouth. In The Last Word however Beefeater works well against the other potent flavors since this cocktail is all about balance. You will find new flavors with each sip.
Green Chartreuse (as opposed to its yellow, slightly sweeter sibling) is 55% alcohol, made from over 100 alpine herbs and produced by monks in the French Alps. Luxardo produces a very fine maraschino liqueur that is becoming easier and easier to find (usually about $30/bottle).

The Last Word
One part gin
One part lime juice
One part maraschino liqueur (such as Luxardo)
Shake on ice. Serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry.
Great variation:
Final Ward (created by Phil Ward of Death and Co. in Manhattan)
Equal parts rye, lemon juice, Luxardo, and Green Chartreuse

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2011 at 12:18 PM

    I'm glad to see you've got the final ward on there too!!

    A tiny history for you - this drink was completely forgotten until Murray Stinson, legendary bartender at the Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle, found the recipe and started serving it. from there, it spread around the country and now is on a lot of craft cocktail menus. If you ever go to Seattle, go to Zig Zag and watch Murray work - he is a true artist!

    Try maraska maraschino liqueur instead of luxardo for a more dry, less sugary sweet version. I also really like Aviation Gin, which is a much less juniper-heavy gin that goes great in cocktails with citrus (like....the Aviation!). it's bigger on the aniseed and lemon peel flavors, which makes it great for gin drinks where you don't want so strong a juniper flavor.

    Plymouth is my favorite, too, for the Last Word.

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