Holiday visitors who come bearing gifts of food and drink are always appreciated, especially when those same gifts include recipes we haven’t tried.

Brother Dave arrives with a bottle of Chartreuse and his new,  favorite old-time cocktail recipe, The Last Word. The Prohibition-era classic features green Chartreuse. (yes Virginia, chartreuse is not just a color on the hipster paint palette), gin, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice, mixed in equal amounts. The combination is bracing, clean, refreshing and a touch creamy all at the same time, reminiscent in some ways of a Margarita, but with the difficult-to-describe flavor of Chartreuse, which our alchemist friends tell us includes Angelica root.

And yes, it is strong.  Although with a simple 1-1 ratio, the recipe can easily be mixed in different amounts. We were able to split a drink into three small cocktail glasses using 1 ounce measures. (OK, we did have seconds.)

The Last Word

In cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix equal parts

• Gin
• Maraschino liqueur (Luxardo brand recommended)
• Green Chartreuse
• Lime juice, freshly squeezed

Pour into chilled cocktail glass.