Today is Global Chartreuse Day! This is the time where we celebrate the beauty that is Chartreuse. With that, what exactly is Chartreuse?
HISTORY
Chartreuse is a liqueur made with brandy and macerated herbs (130 to be exact) and some secret ingredients. The original recipe was, as the story goes, brought about in 1605. The Chartreuse monastery where the two monks reside is in Voiron near Grenoble, France. It was given in a manuscript to the two monks — Dom Benoit and Jean Jacques — who today, are still the only people in the planet who know the herbs required to make the timeless recipe.
The monks were banished from France in 1793, and the production stopped. There was a short period where they were allowed back into France to continue their worship and alchemy.
The monks were AGAIN kicked out of France in 1903, and all of the distillation equipment was confiscated. They then took to Tarragona, Catalonia (Spain) to continue their religion and production of their herbal liqueur. They were allowed back into the country and produced yellow Chartreuse in 1838. The yellow color is from the saffron used in the final maceration process.
To this day, the distillery in Voiron is alive and well. The recipe, and the process are kept under lock and key, and the two original monks are the ones who verify the quality of the recipe produced, and no Chartreuse can leave the distillery without the two monks’ stamp of approval. Secrets everywhere, and it helps to show the beauty of the Chartreuse brand and all of its history.
RECIPE
Now that we covered what Chartreuse is, and its impact on bartending/its popularity, there is one LEGENDARY recipe that defines the category all together. As today is Global Chartreuse Day, the cocktail on all of our minds is the Last Word.
This beautiful mix of equal parts plays a wonderful melody out of four ingredients that, when looked at quickly, wouldn’t normally be considered to be a good mix. Here it is, so you can enjoy your own on this awesome holiday:
The Last Word:
1oz (30mL) gin
1oz (30mL) green Chartreuse
1oz (30mL) maraschino liqueur (we will cover what this is in another post)
1oz (30mL) fresh-squeezed lime juice
Shake all ingredients with ice, for about 15 seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish: Lime wheel
On this special day, enjoy your Last Word with great caution! Be responsible and weary, as it may not look like one of those “pack a punch” cocktails, it can be very dangerous if you have more than one. There is a pretty serious concentration of alcohol in this one.
You’ve been warned, you’re welcome.
Cheers my friends!
Jonathan Echavarria 