Also considering that this is a subscription newsletter, I suspect his audience also suspects that, and this audience doesn't.
Anyway, Wilson's 2009 thoughts on the Last Word:[1]
> Over the years, I've championed Chartreuse in drinks such as the Bijou (equal parts Chartreuse, gin and sweet vermouth with a dash of orange bitters) and the Scofflaw (Chartreuse, rye whiskey, dry vermouth and lemon juice), and maraschino in drinks such as the Aviation (maraschino, gin, lemon juice and a dash of creme de violette) and a frothy alternative to the margarita called a Prado (in which maraschino replaces Cointreau).
> But perhaps the finest use of both liqueurs is together in the Last Word. This is a Prohibition-era cocktail invented at the Detroit Athletic Club and resurrected a few years back by Murray Stenson at Seattle's classic-cocktail haven, the Zig Zag Cafe. Its fame has spread as far and wide as the classic-cocktail movement itself, spawning numerous variations.
> With the huge, bold flavors of Chartreuse and maraschino mixed with gin and lime, the Last Word is definitely not a poolside drink, and definitely not for the appletini crowd. It's a thinking person's drink. A drink with a swagger.
1: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/0...
Third-tier, not third rate.
And I’d argue it’s tier two cities which fuck up their cocktails and wine lists most passionately. Go to Bisby or Enniscorthy and they’ll pour a great, simple drink and tell you to kindly fuck off if you order something they don’t know. Order an aviation or Gibson in Manhattan or Palo Alto, and you’re likely to be treated well. But try the same in Phoenix or Aspen, and god knows what saccharine nonsense even a gin and tonic will arrive as.