cascode
Chartreuse Green Liqueur
Herbal/Spice Liqueurs — France
Reviewed
November 19, 2022 (edited January 20, 2024)
Appearance: Chartreuse. A pale yellow/green colour of crystal clarity that catches the light like a green diamond or peridot. It’s similar to the colour of high-grade un-louched absinthe.
Aroma: Lime juice, lime marmalade, pine needles, basil, oregano, angelica, spearmint, peppermint, a zephyr of green anise, thyme, juniper, dried orange skin, orange sherbet, cinnamon, menthol, wintergreen, melissa, grapefruit, a suggestion of eucalyptus, liquidamber storax and a hundred other herbal and spice aromas (quite literally). The complexity of this nose is preternatural.
Flavour and Texture: A very sweet and complex herbaceous beginning that develops into an intricate mid-palate built around mint, citrus, pine oil, rosemary, sorrel, basil, green anise, fennel, petit wormwood and an array of seed spices too complex to unravel. The finish is long, with emerging ginger and red ginseng, and there is a note of gentian bitterness in the aftertaste. The texture is dense and syrupy.
This is a liqueur of unexcelled complexity and nobility. In the spectrum of liqueurs, just as in the spectrum of visible light, Chartreuse stands bright and aloof at centre stage flanked by everything else.
I like to take it neat, at room temperature, with a demitasse of strong black unsweetened coffee.
“Patrician” : 96/100 (5 stars)
100.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington 😋👍
@cascode I would just do 2 parts soda, 1 part chartreuse over ice and then typically do again, and again…
@Scott_E Yes, that one works - cheers! @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington A Chartreuse spritz - what a great idea! What do you use? Prosecco, champers, soda? The cocktail sounds formidable too.
@cascode just purchased for Thanksgiving Day after reading your review. Cheers!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington nice—-I need to try that, thanks!!
@cascode see if this works for you: https://newsbeezer.com/an-elixir-from-the-french-alps-frozen-in-time/
This made for one of my favorite spritzes this summer, throw in a mint sprig for looks and drink it during zoom calls. @PBMichiganWolverine it also does wonders in this: Last of the Oxacans - [ ] ¾ oz. mezcal (Dobbs uses Mezcal Vida) - [ ] ¾ oz. fresh lime juice - [ ] ¾ oz. maraschino liqueur - [ ] ¾ oz. green Chartreuse Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a cherry.
@Scott_E Thanks, but it's a subscription site and would not show the article.
Here’s a link to that artichoke: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/business/chartreuse-monks-coronavirus.html
Great tasting notes. I've been looking for another bottle for a while now, it's getting hard to find.
@cascode I stumbled across an article (NYT I think it was from) about the history of this. Monks in France (I believe) and the secret recipe and the unique flavors. I haven’t had a chance to try this but will definitely seek this out after your review.
@ContemplativeFox yeah, that would be great——thanks !
Love the visual description. Pretty hard to argue that chartreuse doesn't look chartreuse 😂
@PBMichiganWolverine I still have that set of sample to send you (once I get my liquor unpacked). happy to throw some of this in
@PBMichiganWolverine There are some cocktails that use it (The Last Word is the main one) but it's best as a neat liqueur in my opinion. Some peopel prefer it chilled and some over a rock, but I think both of those approaches cripple it. This and Benedictine are similar in use, although totally different in flavour. I'd recommend a pour at a restaurant some time after a good meal as a digestif first before buying a bottle.
@cascode on my buy list now. So, I’ve never heard of this, but sounds like I should have it neat?