Name: Ultima Palabra
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 22.5 ml Mezcal; 22.5 ml Chartreuse Green; 22.5 ml Maraschino liqueur; 22.5 ml Pineapple juice; 22.5 ml Lime juice; 10 ml Chilled water

Ultima Palabra
Jump to

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
³⁄₄ oz	Del Maguey Vida Clásico Mezcal
³⁄₄ oz	Green Chartreuse (or alternative herbal liqueur)
³⁄₄ oz	Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
³⁄₄ oz	Pineapple juice
³⁄₄ oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₃ oz	Chilled water omit if using wet ice

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of thyme sprig.
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with thyme sprig.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Named after the direct Spanish translation of Last Word, hence the use of mezcal in place of the gin in a classic Last Word cocktail. Pineapple juice, another distinguishing feature of this riff on the classic, works brilliantly – adding a fruity sweetness and complexity.

View readers' comments

Variant:

Yellow Cactus Flower
Closing Argument
20 best Last Word variations

History:

A riff on the Last Word created by Simone De Luca at High Road House Club in Chiswick, London, England. Recipe courtesy of Gary 'gaz' Regan's Ardent Spirits.
See: Last Word history

Nutrition:

One serving of Ultima Palabra contains 193 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
17.42% alc./vol. (17.42° proof)
21.3 grams of pure alcohol

More Hall of Fame & must know/try cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

Join the discussion

Showing 10 of 33 comments for Ultima Palabra.
See discussion in the Forum

Please log in to make a comment

Leo

9th May at 06:14

The pineapple juice adds smoothness to the body of the drink. Comparing to original last word. However, depending on what type of pineapple juice you’re using e.g freshly squeezed, retail pineapple juice - you may get different results. Some pineapple juice may make the drink too sweet and you need to try the pineapple juice beforehand to make a balanced one.

Ruth Harvey

25th April at 18:14

Fruity, sour, smokey and sweet. I am going to try adding a drop of saline next time. I'm not sure it will improve it but I will enjoy the trial!

Steven Jepson

4th April at 23:14

I tried this after a Yellow Cactus Flower and will post the comment from there. I would definitely try them against each other:
Oh wow - these two drinks are so different but at the same time so the same. Both are Mezcal, Lime, Pineapple and Chartreuse - but one yellow the other green. The big change being Suze for Maraschino
Very similar in taste breakdown but with one bright yellow the other a mint green the Eye taste makes a difference.
For me the Ultima takes edges it - marginally sweeter and a faint marmalade flavour.

CJ Grant

26th April at 19:53

I followed the recipe (including its simple ratio) here for the Ultima Palabra with the substitution of Yellow for Green Chartreuse, and really enjoyed it. I liked the earthy smokiness of the mezcal coming through as a tangent from the juniper of a gin.

Ok, I did also use a reposado Xicala mezcal, but I don't think the barrel resting mad a difference that came through, but who knows.

Simon Difford

5th April at 06:51

Thanks Steven. I've added 'variation' links between this and the Yellow Cactus Flower.

Dan Anderson

22nd March at 05:31

Pretty interesting variation. Use fresh pineapple juice or don’t bother. The smoke level of your Mezcal will make or break this drink and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Enjoyed the interplay of the mezcal and chartreuse and the sweet/sour element. Further study and enjoyment required.

Albert Markiewicz

3rd March at 08:59

The first sip felt very smoky and mezcal forward. However, the next ones I felt the taste of chartreuse to be more dominant. The flavor is so complex I felt like every sip was a little bit different, but each one was delicious. The balance between sourness and sweetness was perfect for me. I'm not an expert on the topic but this was one of the most interesting cocktail experience I've ever had.

Caspian Berggren

18th February at 21:56

It's probably the "ultima" combination of tiki and classic cocktails in a glass, and certainly one of my favourite riffs on The Last Word. I feel like this is one of those cocktails that don't need to be served up, it could just as well be served on crushed ice like a tiki. Wonderful job!

Loïc Pierre

7th February at 00:27

Excellent ! The presence of the mezcal is obvious but the balance is nice with the other ingredients. And one feel the herbal side of chartreuse (and also the pineapple).

Gillian Craib

10th January at 17:08

Love this one: it really hits the spot.

Alex Cutler

19th October 2024 at 05:29

I make a ‘mezcal last word’ at least once a week and love drinks that combine the smokiness of mezcal with pineapple, so I assumed I would love this.. but it just doesn’t work.

Juan Simon

16th November 2024 at 01:06

I feel like you need a good smoky Mezcal to have a chance against the Chartreuse, otherwise it disappears in the background and it feels unbalanced, albeit still good. Montelobos Mezcal works for me.

Jim G

18th October 2024 at 00:15

I've yet to have a Last Word variation that I did not like and this one works. However I like The Last of the Oaxacans much better. Will leave the pineapple juice for my wife's Jungle Birds in the future.