The Last Drop

The Last Drop pub is situated beside the location where hangings took place in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh. In his book the "Heart of Midlothian" Sir Walter Scott writes about how frightened he felt as a schoolboy when the gallows appeared overnight for an execution. Between 1661 and 1668 over 100 were hung many of whom were Covenanters. The last person to be hung there was James Andrews in 1784 for a robbery and later hangings were in the High Street. A St Andrews cross set in stone marks the spot nearby where the gallows stood. Apparently the condemned person was offered a" last drop" to drink at the pub before they had the last drop from the gallows.
The pub is now a popular place especially with tourists.