The last word...

...as I mentioned before, can be had by gin drinkers. The modern cocktail started with gin (and rye), and it is still going strong, although its upfront flavors and juniper twang often steer others towards vodka. This post, however, we will be discussing The Last Word, a cocktail which last long fallen out of favor, only to be recently reincarnated in the ateliers of saloon keepers. The recipe is simple, evenly proportioned, and will allow us to taste some rather off-the-wall spirits.

In the forefront, we have gin. Or rather, that's what most recipes for the drink will tell you. However, let's talk about something a little different: Genever.

Genever is what gin used to be like. It is made from distilling malt wine. Unfortunately, the result of that process produced a beverage somewhere between awful and horrendous due to the primitive distillation methods of the time. So, in order to make it more palatable, the Dutch added a cornucopia of herbs.

The difference between gin and genever is marked. Where traditional London Dry gin is aggressive, assertive and mostly one-note, genever is soft, very slightly sweet, and extremely well balanced. While the nose is of juniper, the flavor is herby with cherry and wood, with a back-end vaguely reminiscent of sake. This is a gin one could sip on the rocks like a whisky, but it really shines in cocktails. And Bols makes one of the standards. Missing from the US for most of the 20th century, Bols recently reintroduced it.

To play up the cherry notes in the Bols, we'll add an equal proportion of maraschino liqueur. Be forewarned: This stuff is not a Pucker-like substance loaded up with sugar, nor is it like drinking the radioactive red juice from a jar of grocery store maraschinos. That said, however, it is fantastic stuff. Clean and ascerbic with a fresh ripe cherry taste, it's the perfect complement to the genever's flavors. The traditional brand is Luxardo, an Italian company, but I prefer to stick with the anything the Commerce City-bases Leopold Bros. makes when I can. We'll be drinking a LOT of Leopold's output during our journey.

The next element, again in equal proportion, is green Chartreuse. This is an important one. Chartreuse is one of those monk beverages I mentioned previously, and it has been with us since the 18th century. In fact, the color chartreuse is named after the spirit, not the other way around. It is one of the most complicated, interesting and complex liqueurs out there.

The recipe is, of course, a closely held secret, but it consists of 130 different varieties of herbs, flowers and who knows what else. It ages well in the bottle, a rarity for any spirit. And the green color comes from the time before artificial additives: It comes from the plants itself.

Describing the taste is almost impossible. That's because it seems to constantly change from sip to sip. At first the smell of strong alcohol rises to meet you (it is 110 proof, after all). At first, you might taste licorice and mint. Then herbs and baking spices. After that, perhaps some grassy, leafy bark or faint fruit. It's like a symphony of flavor, and I say that on purpose, not to spout more turgid prose. With all those ingredients and flavors, it would be easy to make a misstep and produce something disastrous. But those monks got it right. It's sweet, not bitter, and every element is spot on.

By the way, if you're going to drink Chartreuse, grab the green stuff. The yellow is milder, sweeter and packs less of a punch.

The last of our elements is a lime. Traditionally, the recipe is 1-1-1-1, with equal parts of all ingredients. In my opinion, though, too much lime will overwhelm the rest of the drink. I think a half part of lime is more than enough.

The Last Word
1 part genever (or gin)
1 part maraschino liqueur
1 part green Chartreuse
1/2 part fresh lime juice

Add ingredients to a shaker, add ice, shake, and strain into some kind of fancy glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry (sorry, I only had the crappy kind; I'll try my hand at making my own at some point) and a lime twist.

A "last word" about this drink. It is not going to be enough to turn a non-gin-drinker into one who loves the stuff. That will come as the days warm up, as we mix up a long-forgotten cocktail, the Floradora. But for someone who is fond of gin and wants a change from martinis or G&Ts, or someone interested in getting acquainted with the spirit, it's a fine place to start.

Bols Genever
Product of Holland
$45 at Total Beverage

Leopold Bros Maraschino Liqueur
Product of Colorado
$24 at Mondo Vino

Chartreuse
Product of France
$70 at Applejack