Why Is Everyone Drinking Chartreuse This Summer?

While I love a dessert menu as much as the next person, I’m always drawn to the beverage section of the little card that lands on my table after the last crumbs from dinner have been dusted away. There’s usually a selection of espresso drinks, teas, and dessert wines, but when a restaurant offers a thoughtfully curated list of liqueurs like amaro, Cynar, Fernet, and Chartreuse, that’s when I get excited. 

“Amaro, mezcal, absinthe, and Fernet, all of which are more polarizing and astringent flavors, are becoming part of the greater cocktail lexicon,” says Cody Pruitt, owner of New York City’s newly opened Libertine, a French bistro with a formidable digestif and aperitif program. “I think there’s a lot of narratives around Chartreuse, partially because of the purposeful mystery around it and the fact that it’s still made by monks.” Unlike many other post-dinner drinks, Chartreuse isn’t owned by a corporation (though it is imported to the United States by Frederick Wildman & Sons) and has, in recent months, made headlines due to an apparent shortage. “Chartreuse just lends itself quite easily to mystery. That coupled with the fact that it’s absolutely delicious has led to a rise in demand,” Pruitt tells me. 

What is Chartreuse?

Both yellow and green Chartreuse are produced by the Carthusian Order, a sect of Catholic monks based in the Chartreuse mountains in southeastern France, who are privy to a secret recipe that calls for more than 130 herbs. While the monks initially produced Chartreuse to fund their own monasteries, the liqueur has gained popularity stateside, in part due to its high alcohol level — yellow Chartreuse is 80 proof, while green Chartreuse is 110 proof — but also due to the complex flavor it imparts in cocktails like the Last Word, the Irish classic Tipperary cocktail, and the Naked and Famous. 

“There is a purposeful shortage of Chartreuse based on the monks not wanting to support alcoholism,” Pruitt tells me, though it’s worth noting that in an official communication, the monks cite wanting to focus on “protecting their monastic life and devoting their time to solitude and prayer” as the main reasons for limiting production of the liqueur. 

You can explore the liqueur by ordering a Widow’s Kiss, which calls for Benedictine and apple brandy alongside yellow Chartreuse, as well as a Green Point, a riff on a classic Manhattan cocktail. In addition to green and yellow Chartreuse, you might come across a bottle labeled VEP (which stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé) which Pruitt explains is very rare, and aged for an extended period of time in oak casks. 

“It also makes a great highball, and the double [shot] carries that flavor through. I find it more polarizing and extreme, but it doesn’t have the same bitterness that amari do, so it’s more accessible because it’s sweeter without becoming a cordial,” Pruitt says. 

What does Chartreuse taste like?

True to its golden hue, yellow Chartreuse has a honeyed, sweet flavor that is much more mellow than its green counterpart. Green Chartreuse has bold, herbaceous, peppery, and mint notes, as well as flavors of anise and licorice. If you don’t have yellow Chartreuse on hand, alpine liqueur Genepi (also known as Genepy) is a great alternative, as is Italian Strega. If you need a substitute for green Chartreuse, Pruitt recommends trying Brooklyn-based Faccia Brutto spirits’ Centerbe, which packs a ton of minty, bittersweet flavor with the bright green color you’d expect.

How to drink Chartreuse 

“The purest way to drink Chartreuse is neat, and we serve a fair amount in our little green stemmed Alsace glasses,” Pruitt says. “I wouldn’t recommend drinking it out of a wine glass, because the shape of a wine glass can funnel all the ethanol and alcohol notes into your nostrils. I don’t recommend serving it out of a coupe, but a wider mouth vessel is always better." 

Given Chartreuse’s high alcohol content, it’s easy to store in the freezer for an especially bracing summer nightcap, or to pour over a few spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream. At Libertine, the dessert menu features a decadent chocolate mousse served with a side of with a green Chartreuse creme fraiche; Chartreuse and creme fraîche are a classic pairing. Come winter, the team will serve piping hot mugs of hot chocolate spiked with green Chartreuse. 

While I’m excited to see buzzy new spots like Libertine raising Chartreuse to the celebrity status amaro has enjoyed over recent years, I intend to stay true to my favorite way to enjoy the liqueur, in a L’Alaska Martini, which calls for yellow Chartreuse in place of vermouth, as well as orange bitters, gin, and a dash of salt.