The Last Word Cocktail

The Last Word Cocktail  – an easy and classic gin cocktail.  This cocktail recipe is made with only four ingredients – gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse, and lime juice, it still has such depth of flavor!

Green Chartreuse

I’m not going to lie to you.  It is very easy to drop down a liquor cabinet rabbit hole once you start making a lot of cocktails.  It seems like every week we stumble upon some other liquor that we simply must have.

Last month, it was Creme de Violette – so that we could make A Violette Royale  and The Aviation Cocktail.

This month it’s Green Chartreuse.  Green Chartreuse looks like something made to glow under a blacklight.  It is the only liquor to have a completely natural green color.   A  French Liqueur that has been made by the Carthusian Monks since 1737!

Chartreuse is a difficult taste to describe.  It’s sweet, but herby and kind of vegetal.  See, I told you it was hard to describe.  So unique.

Ingredients in the Last Word Cocktail.

With our newly acquired bottle of Chartreuse, we set out to make a classic gin cocktail – The Last Word Cocktail.  The Last Word is a gin based prohibition era cocktail that was originally developed at the Detroit Athletic Club.

Maraschino Liqueur – a liqueur made from Marasca cherries.  

Gin – we used a London Dry Gin.  

Chartreuse. 

Lime Juice – fresh squeezed! 

How to Make this Classic Gin Cocktail

This cocktail is super easy to make because in it’s classic form it calls for equal parts of each liquid.  

• Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice.  
• Add 3/4 ounce each of chartreuse, lime juice, gin and maraschino liqueur to the cocktail shaker.
• Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 
• Garnish with a twist of lime.

Some modern recipes call for different ratios, in the book, Booze and Vinyl they “ladder” the drink to change up the balance. 

I can just imagine sitting in a speakeasy sipping a few of these!  They are so delicious.  Herby and refreshing.  The fact that they are so easy to make, puts them on a regular cocktail rotation at our house.

More Delicious Gin Cocktails:

Southside Cocktail – another simple classic cocktail, this one includes mint! 

White Lady Cocktail – a classic gin cocktail with only 3 ingredients and so sippable! 

Satan’s Whiskers Cocktail – gin, vermouth and orange liqueur make a complex tasting cocktail that is super easy to make! 

For even more recipes, be sure and follow my Gin Cocktails and Recipes Board on Pinterest. 

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5 from 6 votes

The Last Word Cocktail

This classic gin cocktail is so easy to make, yet the taste is amazing!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 211kcal

Ingredients

• 3/4 ounce gin
• 3/4 ounce Chartreuse green
• 3/4 ounce Maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 ounce lime juice fresh squeezed
• Lime twist for garnish

Instructions

• Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice.
• Add gin, Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice to cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime twist.

Notes

Lime Juice - always use fresh squeezed lime juice.  We sometimes squeeze a few and store the juice in the fridge for quick and easy cocktails. 

A London Dry Gin works great here, try other types of gin to see which kind you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin C: 6mg

This was originally published in 2014 and has been updated for 2019.