Barfly: The Last Word

This is the cocktail counterpoint to legendary lush F. Scott Fitzgerald’s adage about there being “no second acts in American lives.” The mixture of equal parts green chartreuse, maraschino, gin, and lime juice was invented in the Detroit Athletic Club in the 1920s, became a local phenom, and then promptly disappeared until legendary Seattle barman Murray Stenson (formerly of Zig Zag Café) single-handedly resurrected it. This wallop-packer (the name’s no joke) swings viciously between sweet and sour, with the maraschino and chartreuse duking it out for supremacy and the gin providing some heavy ballast. These days The Last Word lives a schizophrenic existence; unknown by casual drinkers, revered by professional ones.

                                             ½ oz gin
                             ½ oz green chartreuse
                          ½ oz maraschino liqueur
                              ½ oz fresh lime juice
                               (don’t skimp, bucko)

                                                   —

Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

VIDEO: How to mix THE LAST WORD cocktail