The Last Word is a

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

-based

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

originating at the

Detroit Athletic Club The Detroit Athletic Club (often referred to as the DAC) is a private social club and athletic club located in the heart of Detroit's theater, sports, and entertainment district. It is located across the street from Detroit's historic Music Hall ...

in the 1910s, shortly before the start of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. After a long period of obscurity, it enjoyed a renewed popularity in the

cocktail renaissance The craft cocktail movement is a social movement spurred by the cocktail renaissance, a period of time in the late 20th and early 21st century characterized by a revival and re-prioritization of traditional recipes and methods in the bar industr ...

of the early 2000s after being discovered by bartender Murray Stenson of the Zig Zag Café in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Recipe and variations

The Last Word consists of equal amounts of gin, green

Chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Common meanings * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (color), a yellow-green color named after the liqueur * Grande Chartreuse, the original Carthusian monastery Other uses * Chartreuse (dish), a ...

, maraschino liqueur, and freshly pressed

lime juice A lime is a citrus fruit, which is typically round, lime green in colour, in diameter, and contains acidic juice vesicles. There are several species of citrus trees whose fruits are called limes, including the Key lime (''Citrus aurantiifoli ...

, which are combined in a shaker with ice. After shaking, the mix is poured through a

cocktail strainer A cocktail strainer is a metal Bar (counter), bar accessory used to remove Ice cubes, ice from a cocktail, mixed drink as it is poured into the cocktail glass, serving glass. A type of sieve, the strainer is placed over the mouth of the glass or ...

and served

straight up Various unique terms are used in bartending. Definitions and usage Straight, up, and straight up In bartending, the terms "straight up" and "up" ordinarily refer to an alcoholic drink that is shaken or stirred with ice and then strained and ...

without ice. The Prohibition-era cocktail at the Detroit Athletic Club used

bathtub gin Bathtub gin refers to any style of homemade spirit made in amateur conditions. The term first appeared in 1920, in the prohibition in the United States, in reference to the poor-quality alcohol that was being made. As gin was the predominant drin ...

, and today the club serves a recreation of that spirit (vodka, spices, herbs, citrus) in their Last Word. Other variants include the "Final Ward," created by the New York bartender Phil Ward, which substitutes

rye whiskey Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and of ...

and lemon juice for gin and lime; and the "Last of the Oaxacans," which uses

mezcal Mezcal (, ), sometimes spelled mescal, is a liquor, distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. Agaves or magueys are endemic to the Americas and found globally as ornamental plants. The ''Agave'' genus is a member of the Agavoid ...

instead of gin.

History

Ted Saucier's 1951 cocktail book ''Bottoms Up!'' states that the Last Word originated at the

and had been brought to New York in the late 1910s by the acclaimed

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

monologist A monologist (), or interchangeably monologuist (), is a solo artist who recitation, recites or gives oral interpretation, dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry, or work of literature, for the entertainment of an audience. The te ...

Frank Fogarty, who had been working in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. This had led some authors to assume that Fogarty had invented the drink. While its inventor is unknown, Detroit Athletic Club archives revealed the Last Word to be on the menu as early as 1916, when it was the club's most expensive cocktail at a price of 35 cents (). The Last Word fell into obscurity after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 2003, Seattle bartender Murray Stenson saw the recipe in a copy of ''Bottoms Up!'' and added it to the menu of the Zig Zag Café, where it became a regional cult hit before spreading in popularity across the country. Bartender Audrey Saunders of New York's Pegu Club called the drink a "perfectly balanced" palate cleanser with a "good bite." The recipe subsequently reappeared in cocktail guides, including the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide.

In popular culture

On May 20, 2011

Rachel Maddow Rachel Anne Maddow ( ; born April 1, 1973) is an American television news program host and liberal political commentator. She hosts '' The Rachel Maddow Show'', a weekly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network's special event ...

demonstrated the preparation of the cocktail in her show on

MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...

, calling the drink the "last word for the end of the world." This was in reference to the rapture and end of world prediction of the Christian radio host

Harold Camping Harold Egbert Camping (July 19, 1921December 15, 2013) was an American Christian radio broadcaster and evangelism, evangelist. Beginning in 1958, he served as president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that, at its peak, b ...

and the MSNBC news program ''

The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell ''The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'' is an American weeknight news and political commentary program on MSNBC. The program airs live at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time Mondays through Fridays, and is hosted by Lawrence O'Donnell from Mondays to ...

'', which covered Camping's predictions extensively.

Notes

External links

* *Simon Difford
''20 best variations on the last word cocktail''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last word, the Cocktails with gin Cocktails with chartreuse Cocktails with lime juice Cocktails with fruit liqueur

Recipe and variations

History

In popular culture

See also

Notes

External links