Chartreuse (US: /ʃɑːrˈtruːz, -ˈtruːs/ ⓘ, UK: /-ˈtrɜːz/, French: [ʃaʁtʁøz]) is a French herbal liqueur that has been made by Carthusian monks since 1737, reportedly according to instructions set out in a manuscript given to them by François Annibal d’Estrées in 1605.[1] It was named after the monks’ Grande Chartreuse monastery, located in the Chartreuse Mountains north of Grenoble, France. Today the liqueur is produced in their distillery in nearby Aiguenoire. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbs, plants and flowers, and sweetened, though the exact recipe is known only to select monks. The color chartreuse takes its name from the drink.
The flavour profile has been described as "being punched in the mouth by a bowl of potpourri " by a colleague of mine.
How is you colleagues able to taste color?
Synesthesia.
As with another well-known French hard liquor, drink enough and you, too, just might taste colors swirling on your tongue and hear emotions swirling in the sky.
spoiler
~Absinthe does not actually cause hallucinations~
Thought it depended on what kind you get. The one generally available in North America is just strong liquor like bacardi 150 (though more of a zambooka flavour), but actual absinthe is made from some tree wood that is hallucigenic. At least, that’s how I understood it; I’ve only tried the boring kind.
Wormwood. Pretty much banned everywhere now though.
It tastes like the essence of green. I love it.
It goes quite well in a drink called “The Last Word”. It’s 1 part gin, 1 part green Chartreuse, and 1 part maraschino liqueur.
You’re missing 1 part lime juice in there.
Good taste though ;).
It’s a pretty good ratio for a lot of drinks when experimenting as well.
That sounds delightful! Would it be blasphemy to add a bit of club soda? I think that’d make it really refreshing
You’d want to tweak the ratios a bit for that — but yeah, I think it’s a great base for an enhanced gin rickey.
I’d probably aim for something like
with 6-10 oz of club soda, as a very loose starting point.–
Saved this comment, thank you
I’d have to buy literally everything on the list but my family likes making cocktails when we’re together; this seems like a good one for that!
It’s like drinking flowers.
The same way smoking opium is like smoking flowers.
By their powers combined I’m gonna be insufferable