Chartreuse has been made by France’s Carthusian monks for over 250 years, and it’s still gaining momentum. Beloved far and wide for its top-secret medley of botanicals, the liqueur made headlines in early 2023 when it was announced that the monks would no longer be producing enough Chartreuse to fulfill demand. Mixologists and home bartenders alike soon rushed to their local liquor stores to secure their bottles.
Both green and yellow Chartreuse bring an herbaceous complexity to cocktails of all kinds. The former, which comes in at 55 percent ABV, is known for its punchier, borderline-peppery flavors and minty undertone. Yellow Chartreuse, on the other hand, is slightly lower in alcohol at 43 percent ABV and has a sweeter, more mild botanical profile.
Regardless of color, Chartreuse has been a staple in the cocktail scene for centuries, and is present in dozens of recipes from pre-Prohibition tipples like the Last Word to modern classics like the Naked and Famous. Check out 12 of the best Chartreuse cocktails below!
Table Of Contents
The Best Green Chartreuse Cocktails
The Best Yellow Chartreuse Cocktails
The Best Green Chartreuse Cocktails
The Chartreuse Swizzle
The Chartreuse Swizzle allows green Chartreuse to take center stage. Prepared in the swizzle style — which involves a special mixing apparatus — the botanical liqueur joins forces with zippy pineapple and lime juices and a bit of velvet Falernum for sweetness. Herby, slightly sour, and certainly delicious, the Chartreuse Swizzle is sure to bring a bit of the tropics to your glass.
The Piña Verde
Created by Erick Castro at San Diego’s Polite Provisions in 2012, the Piña Verde gives the standard Piña Colada a verdant twist. The cocktail actually originated as the classic Colada with a float of green Chartreuse, but the build later evolved when Castro swapped out rum for the green liqueur as the cocktail’s base. Complete with common ingredients like pineapple juice, coconut cream, and a hint of lime, the Piña Verde makes for a vibrant, herbal sipper.
The Bijou
If you’ve always wanted to love the Negroni but find Campari to be too overwhelming, consider the Bijou instead. Dating back to the early 1900s, the cocktail combines equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Chartreuse for a less bitter spin on the classic. Served up, the Bijou is garnished with a lemon peel and washes the palate with a delectable bouquet of floral notes.
The Tipperary
The unconventional Tipperary strikes the perfect balance between savory and sweet. Starring equal parts Irish whiskey and sweet vermouth at its base, the build employs green Chartreuse for its pleasant vegetal flavor while two dashes of absinthe offer the faintest hint of anise. Polished off with Angostura bitters for balance, the Tippery is traditionally stirred until chilled and served up in a Nick & Nora.
The Champs-Élysées
Created pre-Prohibition, the Champs-Élysée fell out of favor in the latter half of the 1900s, only to be brought back in full force by NYC’s now-shuttered cocktail institution Milk and Honey. The cocktail’s Cognac base, which teems with fruity and floral flavors, is the perfect match for green Chartreuse. Both spirits are brightened with the addition of lemon juice, sweetened with some simple syrup, and balanced by a hit of Angostura. The cocktail’s vibrant yellow appearance certainly lives up to its namesake Parisian boulevard, nicknamed the “world’s most beautiful avenue.”
The Last Word
Arguably the world’s most popular Chartreuse cocktail, the Last Word is as simple to prepare as it gets. The four equal-parts cocktail fuses gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, and lime juice for a gorgeous, botanical blend. Gin’s juniper and herbal notes complement those found in Chartreuse while the jammy Maraschino liqueur and lime juice provide an undercurrent of succulence and sourness.
The Art of Choke
Earning its name from the artichoke-based amaro at its core, the Art of Choke is ideal for drinkers who prefer their builds on the bitter side. Cynar and light rum create an interesting blend of sweet and serious flavors, and green Chartreuse and muddled mint provide an extra verdant boost. Rich Demerara syrup and a hint of lime juice keep the bitterness in check.
The Best Yellow Chartreuse Cocktails
The Daisy de Santiago
Light-bodied and so refreshing it’ll be hard to stop after just one, the Daisy de Santiago can be likened to a carbonated Daiquiri. Created at Bacardí’s former Havana headquarters in the 1930s, the cocktail employs white rum as its foundation with a touch of delicately floral yellow Chartreuse. Lifted further by club soda, lime juice, and simple syrup, the Daisy de Santiago is as sessionable as they come.
The Death Flip
Weighty and luscious thanks to a whole egg, the Death Flip is ideal for enjoying in the colder months. Jägermeister joins forces with blanco tequila and yellow Chartreuse for a peculiar (yet no less delectable) base teeming with vegetal, floral, and savory notes. Sweetened with a dash of simple syrup and garnished with grated nutmeg, the Death Flip gives traditional eggnog a run for its money.
The Alaska
Made with just three ingredients, the Alaska provides the perfect entrance point for those dipping their toes into the sea of spirit-forward cocktails. Gin accounts for most of the cocktail’s build, and its juniper and lemon peel notes tango effortlessly with yellow Chartreuse’s minty, honeyed citrus influence. Polished with a dash of orange bitters, the Alaska washes the palate in robust, herbal flavors.
The Naked and Famous
Created in 2011 by bartender Joaquín Simo, the Naked and Famous is one of the few classic cocktails boozed up with mezcal. Considering its supporting spirits Aperol and yellow Chartreuse, Simo himself has referred to the cocktail as the Last Word and Paper Plane’s love child. When all three spirits are shaken up with lime juice, the build takes on a vibrant citrus profile undercut by a lush layer of smokiness.
The Greenpoint
Among the Manhattan’s many riffs, the Greenpoint gets its name from a Brooklyn neighborhood just across the East River. Along with the Manhattan’s original ingredients of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, the Greenpoint takes things a step further with orange bitters and yellow Chartreuse, which imbue notes of cedar, pine, and lemon pith to rye whiskey’s classic spice.
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