the last word

Hey, come on in! We're celebrating 505 posts here at the manor.

I mixed up some very nice drinks, including this one, which we are

dubbing "The Stankus". Bill posted this recipe a week or so ago.

Actually, it's called the "Last Word" and it is very tasty. Hop on

over to Just a Moment of Miscellany and say hello. Bill's a very

talented guy and an excellent writer. Plus, he's nice.

Use equal parts of fresh squeezed lime juice, green Chartreuse, gin

and maraschino liqueur. Pour the ingredients into a shaker, add a

handful of ice, shake and serve. I garnished with a bing cherry.

Note: Maraschino liqueur is not the same as cherry liqueur or the

bright red maraschino cherry often used as a drink garnish.

Maraschino liqueur is made from Marasca cherries and is clear and

relatively dry tasting. I also read where you can substitute lemon

juice for the lime.

I did a little research and learned this cocktail was introduced about

thirty years ago by Frank Fogarty, who was very well known in

vaudeville. He was called the "Dublin Minstrel" and was a very fine

monologue artist.” So wrote Ted Saucier in 1951 when introducing

this drink in Bottoms Up. Saucier credits the drink to the Detroit

Athletic Club, and if the bartender’s recollection is correct, that

would place the Last Word as a Prohibition-era cocktail.

If that’s the case, then the Last Word is one of the finest cocktails

to come out of that bleak period in American history. Four

ingredients–two of them fairly exotic–working in equal parts to

create perfect harmony.

Thanks, Bill! The Last Word has a deliciously unique flavor that took

me straight back in time.