Chartreuse

last word

The Last Word is an interesting example of a cocktail that had apparently only regional popularity following its original debut during Prohibition, but that has become a favorite internationally in recent years.

This drink was reportedly introduced by the bartenders at the Detroit Athletic Club in the early 1920s. Two of its four ingredients are “luxury” liqueurs that are in the present day relatively hard to find and relatively expensive. I don’t know whether all three of these characteristics held in those days, but it’s probably a fair bet that Detroit’s proximity to Canada and the Great Lakes, as well as its prosperity during its happy years as a center of car production, had something to do with the fact that an illegal saloon would have access to these ingredients. It’s doubtful that Chartreuse or Maraschino Liqueur would have been available or affordable in much of the country, explaining the drink’s limited popularity at that time.

In any case, it’s a pleasing concoction. Nobody I’ve served it to has had anything but good things to say about it.

The Last Word:

1 part gin

1 part green Chartreuse

1 part Maraschino Liqueur

1 part fresh lime juice

Shake on ice, serve straight up. No garnish needed. How big a “part” is can depend on your tolerance and goals for the evening (some recipes say 1/2 oz. each, others 3/4 oz. each, others don’t specify).

Cheers!

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The Alaska Cocktail

by Will on January 30, 2012

This is a drink that always pleases, albeit at the cost of some precious, precious Chartreuse.

1 1/2 oz. gin

1/4 oz. Chartreuse

1 dash orange bitters

Stir on ice, serve straight up

You can use either green or yellow Chartreuse. I generally go with green, which is available at more stores.

Do you know who got the state up north to be called “Alaska” in the first place? It was allegedly General Henry Halleck, the great military author and blunderer. You didn’t see that coming, did you?

I am unable to locate a fascinating story relating when and where this drink was first mixed, and by what manner of people, but no doubt one exists, or could at least be fabricated.

Cheers!

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Chartreuse Tasting

by Jen on March 4, 2011

Our friends Rosalie and Connor inspired us to take out our green and yellow Chartreuse and have a tasting.

A French liqueur, Chartreuse has been made by the Carthusian Monks since the 1740s.  Nowadays it’s produced in a factory in a nearby town, and it’s one of the few alcohols to improve its flavor in the bottle.

Composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbal extracts, I remember adamantly disliking it the first time I tried it. I was willing to give it another shot.

Chartreuse comes in two varieties: green and yellow.  They both resembled the color chartreuse, and the liqueur gives that color its name.

We poured small amounts of each variety into tumblers and passed them around.  Alcohol kills germs after all.

The Green Chartreuse inspired Connor to free associate, “the favorite drink of the Austrian elk villa…cross-country skiing…festival of lights…scientology…theta count…Tom Cruise…Boys of Summer…”

Contrast that with his reaction to the yellow, “It tastes like sticking your head into a Chinese herb shop Amelie-style.”

Both flavors are very complex in flavor due to the 130 herbal extracts they are made with.

Rosalie said that the green made her feel like she has “dragon breath…burning [her] taste buds off”!  The yellow was “more refreshing” though it did make her “tongue numb.”

Picture Rosalie exhaling FIRE!

High praise for Chartreuse so far, eh?  Let’s keep in mind that if tasted straight, it should have been chilled (which I didn’t realize at the time of the tasting and Will neglected to inform me) and that most often it’s found in very small amounts in cocktails.

Once again, I found the taste of both to be…unappetizing. The green has hints of licorice, a taste I have never liked.

The yellow tasted almost grassy to me, and I preferred it to the green because the licorice taste was more subtle.  Both are viscous liquids that called to mind memories of cough syrup. I noted that the sweetness mixed with the intense herbal notes make it a truly interesting taste, if not my favorite.

Will noted that Chartreuse has an exceptionally high alcohol content, which is necessary to preserve the herbs.  Maybe that’s why Rosalie thought her tongue was on fire.  Connor chimed in that he heard a rumor that Bill Murray only drinks Chartreuse and bemoaned the fact that the two of them are not best buds…yet.

Three cheers for Chartreuse!  If nothing else, a great conversation piece.

Three cheers for Chartreuse! If nothing else, a great conversation piece.

 

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The In the Money

by Will on January 3, 2011

  • 1 shot Ile de Re French cognac
  • 1 dash Chartreuse
  • 3 dashes Benedictine
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • Top off with champagne

To celebrate the passing of that crappy and character-building year we had, and to hope for a future with more prosperity!

Named for Busby Berkeley’s number, “We’re in the Money.”

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