![]() ![]() When Michigan went “dry” in 1918 (more than a year ahead of the infamous Volstead Act), the cocktail’s life was cut unceremoniously short. When he returned home to New York he shared the drink with the bartenders at the Waldorf-Astoria, a spot he was known to frequent. Upon tasting The Last Word, he insisted on getting a copy of the recipe. ![]() In 1917, noted vaudeville monologist, Frank Fogarty, was passing through Detroit and found himself at the DAC bar one evening. Duncan Carse, the menu included all of the culinary items available at the club as well as wines, drinks, and a long list of cigars. The first reference to the cocktail appears in a “souvenir menu” that was sent to each and every member with the 1916 Summer Issue of the DAC magazine. With a cover designed by famed artist, A. Because of that, the city often found itself playing host to the country’s most powerful and influential businessmen. Thus the bar in particular became the centerpiece to the property. Before the automobile, Detroit had been a hub for many of the railroad companies. (It’s visible just beyond the center field fence at Comerica Park.)ĭetroit has long played a key role in American transportation. The iconic clubhouse, designed by Albert Kahn, was inspired by Rome’s Palazzo Farnese and has become one of the most recognizable buildings in the Detroit skyline. The DAC was founded as a private club in 1887 on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, before moving to its current home on Madison Avenue in 1913. To get the full story, though, we have to go back even further. The Last Word - a gin-based cocktail originating at the Detroit Athletic Club - is often considered a Prohibition era drink, but records show it predates the Volstead Act by at least two years. Served on the rocks and straight up - good both ways.If not for a private suite at the Waldorf-Astoria and a vaudeville performer named Frank Fogarty, The Last Word may have faded into cocktail history. Everyone really liked it and had seconds (and thirds!) The flavors compliment each other, slightly sweet and herbaceous. Made as my holiday cocktail for the season. ![]() The drink's return was hailed as Seattle's greatest contribution to mixology. The bartender actually credited with resuscitating the drink is Seattle's famous Murray Stenson (who, cocktail fans, has recently "retired" from the Zig Zag and is mixing at Kanon on Capitol Hill these days) in 2008, when he found it in a 1951 bar manual. However, epicurious, it's not Chris Hannah's recipe. I've been so pleased to see this drink gracing menus more commonly in the last few years-it really is a gem of the prohibition era.ĭelicious cocktail - we make it all the time, at home (it's a strong drink - you're not driving after one of these). The Drink was invented at the Detroit Athletic Club some time during prohibition and is as follows:ĭo your homework and you will see that I am right.Īs a chartreuse lover, the Last Word has long been one of my favorite drinks - the perfect blend of tang, sweet, and spice. Number one, it is not Seattle's contribution, it is Detroit's! Thanks and praise most certainly go to the legendary Murray Stenson for uncovering this lost gem, but We gotta set something straight here. ![]()
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