Arguments aren’t enjoyable. But having the last word in a disagreement is usually pretty satisfying. Which makes us wonder if the barman who conceived the Last Word Cocktail has just wrapped up a little altercation and had the perfect zinger at the end and decided he needed some spirits with the same spirit to memorialize it.
The Last Word, a prohibition-era cocktail we first saw in the 1920s in Detroit, is traditionally made with gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, lime juice and a touch of water. Like having the last word in a fight, it’s a smooth cocktail with a little sweetness that hits at the end.
Street's Fine Chicken's Ford's Last Word is a quite traditional Last Word, made with Fords Gin. Fords Gin is called “the cocktail gin,” because it’s a beautiful base spirit that lends itself nicely to many cocktails, thanks to the versatility of its botanicals like juniper, bitter orange, grapefruit and coriander.
This cocktail is best to enjoy slowly, because quite honestly, the art of cocktails is as artful as the art of war. And striking last is as sweet as the last sip of a cocktail.
Ford’s Last Word ($12): Fords Gin, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Lime Juice
Street's Fried Chicken (Cedar Springs location only), 3857 Cedar Springs Road (Oak Lawn).