CHARTREUSE: A MAGICAL MIX
CHARTREUSE
Part healing elixir, part beguiling cocktail, Chartreuse is a magnificent mix of both flavor and purpose. It is known as the “Elixir of Long Life.”
The magical, medicinal, flavorful ingredients in this complex liqueur has been a secret for over 400 years, since it was invented. What we do know, is that it contains 130 botanicals, as directed by an ancient manuscript given by Francois Hannibal d Estrées, Marshal of Kings Henri IV artillery, to a group of Carthusian monks in 1605. Since then, it has only been brewed by this order of monks in the French alps, near Grenoble. Today only two monks, Dom Benoît and Brother Jean-Jacques, know the recipe.
Many spirits originated as medicinal tinctures, so the mix is not new or surprising. But this particular mix is quite unique. You might sense fresh herbs, such as lemon verbena, lemon balm, spearmint, fennel, thyme, angelica stems, sage, scented geranium, lemongrass, chamomile, bay, and whole spices, such as star anise, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, saffron. You may pick up on notes of citrus peel. It’s complex. And for most, Chartreuse is an acquired taste.
Four types of the liqueur are distributed on the market — green, yellow, and an extra barrel-aged “VEP” version for each.
Green Chartreuse is the boldest and most herbaceous, rocking 110-proof (average American whiskey is around 90). Yellow Chartreuse is milder, more floral, and sweeter, distilled with saffron and honey, at 80-proof. Both distillations are aged in oak barrels.
For an even more intense mix, try Elixir Vegetal de la Grande Chartreuse Digestif. It’s hard to find in the US, but a good bet is The Whiskey Exchange.
Chartreuse is the only spirit that continues to age within the bottle, with its color and flavor developing over decades.
Vintage Chartreuse is a recent trend. Vintage bottles are unofficially traded online and hunted down in dusty shops. You can find vintage Chartreuse at Finest & Rarest.
The Saratoga and The Morris are two restaurants with bars in San Francisco that have vintage Chartreuse programs that allow guests to taste flights of the elixir produced at different times, dating back the the 1920s. Saratoga bar director Brandon Clements and Morris owner Paul Einbund each draw from dozens of different bottle in their own private vintage Chartreuse collections. Individual pours can be priced at many hundreds of dollars.
If you are lucky enough to get a seat at The Saratoga’s upcoming Chartreuse Dinner (October 22, 2018), you’re in for a radical treat. Président Directeur Général at Chartreuse, Emmanual Delafon, will guide guests through a tasting and history of this most unique of spirits.
Here’s the menu:
Welcome Cocktails and Canapés
Saltspring Island Mussels and Salish Blue Clams
Basil-Coconut Broth, Crispy Noodles, Fresno Chili Oil
Liqueur du 9 Centenaire
Citrus and Avocado Salad
Pickled Fennel, Mint, Agave-Ancho Vinaigrette
Cuvèe des MOFS
Turf and Surf smoked pork belly, grilled spot prawns, 'toga tot hash, fried garlic chimichurri
'1605' Liqueur d'Elixir
Chartreuse Popsicle
Dark Chocolate Magic Shell, Rainbow Sprinkles
Chartreuse Verte 1978, 2018
These liqueurs are intended to be sipped neat after a meal as a digestif. Mixing Chartreuse into cocktails is a relatively modern American thing. Add a splash of Chartreuse to Martinis, Negronis, and Margaritas. There are also classic cocktails and new creations to tempt you.
Check out The Passenger, a Washington DC bar that rates as the seventh-largest consumer of Chartreuse in the US and the only bar to offer both green and yellow on tap. They also serve up Chartreuse shooters, which gain a creamy texture from the nitrogen taps.
Another DC bar, Dram & Grain, pours vintage Chartreuse bottles from the ’60s and ’80s.
HonestlylyYum loves concocting Chartreuse cocktails. Her Chartreuse and Tequila Milk Punch is made with goat’s milk, which, when mixed, curdles with the acid of the cocktail. The resulting curds are used to filter mixture, stripping out its color and cloudiness, as well as softening the harshness of the alcohol. It’s as fascinating as it is luscious.
And check out HonestlyYum’s Chartreuse Swizzle, a refreshing cocktail made with green Chartreuse, pineapple and lime juices, and falernum, a sweet syrup used in Caribbean and tropical drinks redolent of almond, ginger, lime, vanilla, cloves, and allspice.
The Last Word is the most standard Chartreuse cocktail, created in the 1920s during the Prohibition era in Detroit. It is made from equal parts gin, green Chartreuse, and maraschino liqueur. Garnished with a brandied cherry and a twist of lime, it’s a pretty sight and a beautiful sip.
The Last Word has seen a resurgence in this past decade, first trending in Seattle. It’s also now considered the "definitive Seattle cocktail." Little Jumbo, a fabulous new craft cocktail bar in Asheville, North Carolina, produces a beautiful version of this classic.
Check out The Drunken Botanist, by award-winning author Amy Stewart, for an excellent Chartreuse history and recipe collection. She also takes you on a “tour” of Chartreuse country.
If you you want to travel to France to see how it’s made, you’ll only be allowed to see the visitor’s center and elaborate museum, where you can see replicas of the process displayed in dioramas, with copper stills, oak barrels and dusty bottles to stimulate your imagination. The monks want to be left alone.
While the real Chartreuse is the gold, or should be say, green, standard, it’s also interesting to create your own magical mix. Check out this wonderful recipe created by The Wondersmith, which she calls “peridot” after the beautiful greenish color these botanicals impart into it. “Embrace the diversity and pour yourself a glass of springtime!” she urges. Although we love the magnificent mix of Chartreuse in Autumn, Winter and Summer too.
Read more about Magnificent Mix. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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