How Detroits Signature Cocktail Nearly Became Extinct

Like the city it was invented in, the Last Word cocktail is both a survivor and a comeback king. The drink originated at the Detroit Athletic Club in the pre-Prohibition era before going practically extinct for the majority of the century, until it was resurrected and became a cult sensation. With the cocktail back on menus across the globe, we take a look at its strange history.

That you can still find a Last Word on any cocktail menu in the world is largely thanks to one man, Ted Saucier, who featured it in his classic cocktail recipe book Bottoms Up, published in 1951. In it, along with the recipe—a mix of gin, green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and freshly squeezed lime juice—he credited the drink to the Detroit Athletic Club and wrote about how the cocktail had spread to New York.

It was after finding the recipe in this book in 2004 that famed Seattle bartender Murray Stenson put it on his menu at the Zig Zag Café, and its reputation grew from scratch all over again. The cocktail, which is surprisingly difficult to make and contains exotic ingredients, became a hit among mixologists and drinkers alike and soon spread from the Pacific Northwest during the recent cocktail renaissance.

Eventually, enthusiasts began to ask the club about the drink’s history, but in a typically Detroit turn of events, the home of the Last Word had all but forgotten it. Despite Saucier’s claim that the Albert Kahn-designed clubhouse of the Detroit Athletic Club had been its birthplace, the club knew nothing about it until its resurrection. Communications director and historian Kenneth Voyles and his team began digging and came up with a menu from 1916 that featured a Last Word among its cocktails, charged at 35 cents.

The club has since embraced its reputation as the home of the drink, naming a new rooftop cigar bar, which opened in 2015 as part of its centennial celebrations, the Last Word. The drink has also been called the city’s signature cocktail and popped up on menus across the area, so the next time you’re in Detroit, head to the Sugar House or Oakland Art Novelty Co. in Ferndale to try one.

Its originality, ingenuity, rise and fall and rise again, and status as simultaneously classic and modern make it a perfect symbol for the comeback city.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf90ySxHUbg/?tagged=lastword

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.