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Would you pay US$5,000 for this posh New York cocktail?

L’Imperial, the US$5,000 cocktail, is offered exclusively at Baccarat Hotel New York.
L’Imperial, the US$5,000 cocktail, is offered exclusively at Baccarat Hotel New York.

Served in a Baccarat glass and garnished with an Amarena cherry set atop saffron, the L’Imperial contains ‘impossible-to-get’ vintage 1921-1926 green chartreuse

Hong Kong’s cocktails may be expensive, but New York has the Last Word, or at least a cocktail inspired by this 1920s party staple.

The Last Word cocktail was created in the Prohibition era and featured equal parts gin and green chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice. Back in the day it would have set you back 35 US cents.

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The modern day version, called the L’Imperial however, will have you digging deeper into your pockets, with a price tag of US$5,000.

So why is it so expensive?

Served in a Baccarat glass – a favourite of the Russian Tsars – the cocktail alone costs US$1,400, but if you wish to keep the glass, then the price is US$5,000.

The garnish for L’Imperial has been created by two-Michelin-starred chef Gabriel Kreuther of Gabriel Kreuther Restaurant in New York City. He uses an Amarena cherry which is hand-pressed with gold leaf set atop saffron – the most expensive spice in the world.

Tracey Furniss is a freelance writer for the SCMP. She was the former Deputy Editor, Specialist Publications at the SCMP, where she oversaw special reports and publications, and was editor of Good Eating magazine, Christmas magazine and 100 Top Tables – an award-winning executive dining guide. Before joining the SCMP, she was a television journalist and an award-winning documentary filmmaker, digital editor and travel writer for a host of international publications such as Fodor’s, Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel and Passport Newsletter.