Green Chartreuse, a strong green liqueur, gets its characteristic taste and colour from a secret blend of over 130 herbs which is made by Carthusian monks in the Chartreuse mountains just north of Grenoble. The monks had been making herbal elixirs at their monastery since the middle ages but it was in 1764 that Green Chartreuse was introduced.
The original distillery was destroyed in a mudslide so today Chartreuse is made at Voiron. It’s available in its classic green and yellow iterations as well as various limited editions. It’s delicious neat as a digestif or in cocktails like the Last Word - a sour made with Green Chartreuse, gin, maraschino liqueur and lime juice.
Excellent cocktail - well recommended. That said, having difficulty in finding the ingredients anywhere!
Not an easy drink for the uninitiated, but hang in there and you'll discover a beautifully complex and aromatic drink. Perfect neat as well as in cocktails such as 'The Last Word' and 'The Broadmoor'.
This is the only liquer which continues to develop with time, so if you find an old bottle in the back of your parents drinks cabinet indulge and maybe even do a paralell tasting with a new bottle ! Also fabulous to cook with marries very well with Guinea fowl.
