Most people recognize the word Chartreuse as the gorgeous green color that has become a beloved classic in design. However, we want to introduce you to green Chartreuse cocktails that are made with a unique French herbal liqueur.
While Chartreuse can have a strong flavor, it’s a great way to expand your drink offerings and learn to enjoy new and unique cocktails. Your guests will be impressed with the Chartreuse cocktails you make, and you may find yourself with some new favorites of your own. Every good bar needs a bottle of Chatreuse.
In France, Carthusian monks (Franciscan monks or Chartreuse monks) in the French Alps have been making Chartreuse liqueur since the middle of the 1700s (more than 400 years!), and this interesting liqueur is made by the process of aging alcohol with a top-secret blend of about 130 different herbs and plants.
The result of this secret process is a liqueur with a flavor that is like nothing else you’ve ever tasted. You can buy either green Chartreuse or yellow Chartreuse. Interestingly, Chartreuse is the only liquor or liqueur that has a natural green color.
Chartreuse, a unique French liqueur, has gained popularity in the cocktail scene due to its distinct flavor profile and versatility. Produced by the Carthusian Monks since the 18th century, this herbal concoction comprises a complex blend of 130 plants, resulting in a remarkable taste experience. As you immerse yourself in the world of chartreuse, it’s essential to understand the two types available: the vibrant Green Chartreuse and the mellow Yellow Chartreuse, each offering a different balance of flavors to your drinks.
Now that you’re familiar with the liqueur, let’s dive into the inventive world of chartreuse cocktails. Both seasoned bartenders and home mixologists continue to find inspiration in this enticing spirit, experimenting with various combinations to bring out the best of its characteristics. From classics like the Last Word to modern takes, you too can elevate your beverage repertoire by incorporating chartreuse into your concoctions.
In order to achieve a well-rounded and balanced drink, consider pairing chartreuse with complementary flavors. Citrus fruits, such as lemon and lime, offer a bright and zesty balance to the liqueur’s rich botanical essence, while other spirits like gin and vodka provide a sturdy and seamless backdrop. As you explore the possibilities, remember to keep your palate in mind and let your creativity shine.
What does a Chartreuse cocktail taste like? Chartreuse is spicy, smooth, minty, and sweet, and it has a delightfully distinct herbal finish. You may also detect notes of vanilla.
While the love of Chartreuse hasn’t caught on as much in the U.S., this liqueur is very popular in France and other parts of Europe.
If you have a well-stocked bar, you may have a bottle of Chartreuse that you bought for cocktails with green Chartreuse. Well, the good news is that there are lots of Chartreuse cocktails you can make, and we’ve compiled a list of the most popular Chartreuse drink recipes we could find.
From the world-famous The Written Word to the more obscure Green Ghost Cocktail, there is something on this list of cocktails with green Chartreuse (and yellow Chartreuse) and drinks with green Chartreuse for everyone.
Ready to explore some excellent Chartreuse recipes? Let’s go!
Besides having a humourous and catchy name, this cocktail called the Naked and Famous also has a smoky, bitter, citrus, and sweet flavor.
To make this quirky Naked and Famous drink, you need equal parts Chartreuse, Mezcal, and Aperol. The Aperol adds a nice bitter finish to this modern classic cocktail recipe.
This cocktail also has fresh lime juice. Combine all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously with ice cubes. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, mixing glass, or highball glass.
Garnish this drink with a lime wedge or lemon peel.
For folks who love a good martini (and also have a bottle of Chartreuse on hand), we present the Chartreuse martini recipe.
To make the Chartreuse martini, you need a bottle of green Chartreuse or yellow Chartreuse, an ounce of dry vermouth, and a good quality gin such as Beefeaters. Be sure you use a neutral-flavored gin for this martini cocktail.
Pour all of the ingredients for the Chartreuse martini with ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. Shake well until the mixture is very cold. Then, strain your Chartreuse martini into a martini glass.
The best thing about the Chartreuse martini is that it really brings out the flavor of the Chartreuse, which steals the show in this fun martini.
The Written Word is more commonly known as the Last Word cocktail (and sometimes The Final Word), and The Last Word recipe has been around since at least 1916 when it first appeared on drink menus.
In the 1950s, a recipe for The Last Word was printed in a cocktail book. Then, The Last Word disappeared for a while until it was revived by a Seattle bartender named Murray Stenson in 2004.
To make this Chartreuse drink, you need gin (we recommend Malfy gin), green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and fresh lime juice.
Garnish The Last Word with a Luxardo cherry or maraschino cherry.
If you’re looking for a fruity and herbal modern classic Chartreuse cocktail recipe, welcome to the Chartreuse Swizzle!
The Chartreuse Swizzle was invented in San Francisco, California by a bartender named Marco Dionysos, who was working at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room.
The Chartreuse Swizzle won a cocktail competition, and it has been winning our hearts ever since.
To make the Chartreuse Swizzle, you need green Chartreuse, fresh lime juice, pineapple juice, falernum, and a spritz of El Silencio Mezcal.
Garnish this gorgeous drink with a lime wheel, pineapple leaves, and a mint sprig.
To turn the Chartreuse Swizzle into a gorgeous two-toned cocktail, you can float some Angostura bitters on top of the rest of the ingredients after you’ve poured them into your glass full of ice cubes or crushed ice.
If you love a mojito, you will enjoy the Verdant Lady cocktail. This cocktail is more bitter and stronger than a traditional mojito, but it has all of the delightful minty flavor.
To make the Verdant Lady cocktail, you need a bottle of high-quality gin that has a profile that is fairly neutral. Don’t use Tanqueray for this cocktail because it has too much of a floral flavor.
You need green Chartreuse, simple syrup, fresh mint leaves, and fresh lime juice to complete the Verdant lady.
Pour all of your ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously for 15 seconds or more.
Strain your Chartreuse mixture into a cocktail glass and enjoy.
A simple yellow gin Chartreuse cocktail is also known as the Yellowjacket, and this drink has a wonderful citrus flavor.
The Yellowjacket is made with a mild gin such as Malfy con Limone (which gives it a wonderful lemon flavor). Other ingredients in the Yellowjacket are fresh lemon juice, yellow Chartreuse, and honey syrup.
Alternatively, you can use simple syrup to make this Chartreuse cocktail. The simple syrup gives a sweet flavor without the taste of honey.
Combine all of the listed ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it nearly full with ice (about 3/4). Shake until it feels very cold, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass or martini glass.
Garnish your Yellowjacket cocktail with a lemon twist or lime twist.
We love the idea of creating the Lady Liberty drink with a theme that welcomes autumn and the first frost of the year.
To make a Lady Liberty cocktail, you need light rum (white rum9 Maraschino liqueur, green Chartreuse, fresh lime juice, and orgeat syrup. A dash of Absinthe, the famous New Orleans ingredient, is also great.
However, to make the First Frost cocktail, you’re going to substitute dry vermouth for the Absinthe, and you’re going to create a delicious apple cinnamon syrup to use in place of the orgeat syrup.
To make apple cinnamon syrup, combine a green apple, cinnamon, water, and sugar in a saucepan and heat until all of the sugar is completely absolved.
The Green Ghost is a somewhat mysterious cocktail that originated in the 1930s. Because of its catchy name, the Green Ghost is an excellent Halloween cocktail that has sophisticated flavors.
Even better, you need only three ingredients to make the classic Green Ghost cocktail.
To make the Green Ghost cocktail, you need a good gin that’s not strongly flavored (a neutral gin is best), fresh lime juice, and green Chartreuse.
Add the lime juice, Chartreuse, and gin to a cocktail shaker with fresh ice cubes and shake until it’s cold. Then strain the Green Ghost into your glass.
You can serve the Green Ghost in a chilled coupe glass or another type of cocktail glass.
While the Lumiere cocktail has a sunny and fresh name, this cocktail is spirit-forward and quite strong, and also slightly bitter in flavor. You’ll detect herbal notes in the Chartreuse flavor of this drink.
To make your own Lumiere cocktail, you need orange bitters, green Chartreuse, neutral gin, St Germain Elderflower liqueur, and Rose’s lime juice, which adds both sweetness and lime flavor.
Combine all of the ingredients, including the orange bitters, in a chilled cocktail glass or cocktail shaker that is full of ice cubes or crushed ice. Stir until very cold, and then strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
Garnish your Lumiere drink with a lime twist, lemon wedge, or lemon twist.
Are you ready for another gin-based Chartreuse drink? The Rubicon may be just what you’ve been dreaming of.
Made with three types of liquor, the Rubicon has green Chartreuse, gin, and Maraschino liquor.
Instead of lime juice, the Rubicon has fresh lemon juice.
This is a sweeter Chartreuse drink than many of the other Chartreuse cocktails on our list. However, it’s not a super-sweet drink because the mint and herbs balance out the sweetness. Nevertheless, it’s much less bitter than some of our other Chartreuse cocktails.
To make gorgeous yellow Chartreuse cocktails like the Amber Dream cocktail, you need yellow Chartreuse as a green Chartreuse substitute, dry vermouth, a good gin such as Beefeater gin, and a dash of orange bitters.
Put all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker or large cocktail glass with ice cubes. Stir until it’s thoroughly chilled, then pour the mixture into a chilled coupe glass.
Garnish your amber dream with an orange twist or orange peel. This drink is bitter and herbal with a delightfully spicy flavor.
Do you want a bonus Chartreuse cocktail recipe? Check out the Green Eyes, as demonstrated in the video below. The Green Eyes cocktail is a Chartreuse drink recipe that is a variation of the Last Word cocktail.
Our BEST Chartreuse Cocktails (+Verdant Lady Cocktail)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
