Last Word

Recipe: Last Word (serves one)

• 3/4 oz. gin
• 3/4 oz. green Chartreuse
• 3/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
• lime twist

Shake liquid ingredients with ice. Strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a lime twist.

The Last Word was created around 1915 at the Detroit Athletic Club. The club still exists today, but it’s a private organization. We tried the drink for the first time at another spot in Detroit, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails.

The Last Word features green Chartreuse, the bolder version of the herbal liqueur made by the Chartreuse monks (the yellow version is more mild). We’ve found the green variety to be overpoweringly bitter in some drinks.

The other liqueur in the Last Word is maraschino, which is sweet, nutty, and a bit funky. It’s another ingredient that can overwhelm a cocktail. In the Last Word, though, the green Chartreuse, maraschino, and lime juice balance each other perfectly.