La Ultima Palabra
Mezcal, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime in equal parts, shaken. The Last Word with smoke — Phil Ward's agave riff on the Prohibition-era gin classic, and one of the best drinks of the mezcal era.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the mezcal, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime juice to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Double strain into the chilled coupe.
A thoughtful finish
- Equal parts is the formula; measure carefully.
- A moderate-smoke espadín; a heavy mezcal buries the Chartreuse.
- Half mezcal, half blanco tequila is a common and gentler split.
Common mistakes
- A heavily smoky mezcal.
- Yellow Chartreuse, which is sweeter and makes a different drink.
- Bottled lime.
A few good questions.
What does La Última Palabra taste like?
Herbal, sweet, tart and smoky all at once — a Last Word with a campfire behind it.
Who created it?
Phil Ward at Death & Co, New York, around 2008.
What does the name mean?
'The last word' in Spanish.
Can I use tequila?
Yes; it is then a Tequila Last Word, brighter and without smoke.
Variations
- Last Word — Gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime.
- Final Ward — Rye, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lemon.
- Naked and Famous — Mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol and lime.
- Division Bell — Mezcal, Aperol, maraschino and lime.
Where it comes from
c. 2008 · New York · Phil Ward · Death & Co
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Last Word — gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino and lime in equal parts — was a Detroit Athletic Club drink of about 1916 that Murray Stenson revived in Seattle in 2004, and its equal-parts formula invited riffs. Phil Ward at Death & Co in New York swapped the gin for mezcal around 2008, and the result — La Última Palabra, ‘the last word’ in Spanish — became one of the defining drinks of mezcal’s arrival in American bars. Smoke and the Chartreuse’s herbs are natural partners, and the maraschino and lime do the same balancing work they do in the original. Many bars split the base between mezcal and blanco tequila for a gentler drink.
Sources
- David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day, Death & Co, 2014 (book)
- Difford's Guide, La Última Palabra, 2014 (reference)
- Punch, The Last Word and Its Variations, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.65 US standard drinks at an estimated 26.4% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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