Bars across D.C. are capitalizing on heightened demand for a syrupy and spicy spirit made by French monks.
Green Chartreuse, which bills itself as the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green color, is a potent pick (it's 110-proof) with relatively simple ingredients: alcohol, sugar, and 130 plants and flowers. The yellow version, also naturally colored, is a bit weaker and sweeter (80-proof) but still packs an Uber-home-worthy punch.
The Passenger's long-awaited reboot this year came with custom-made tap handles that pour out popular $6 dollars-an-ounce tastes. And bartenders at places like Cafe Saint-Ex and District Distilling are realizing it pairs nicely with another country's staple spirit: mezcal. Though it can be found in some traditional cocktails, like The Last Word, most bartenders are doing their own thing with the spirit.
The rare liqueur is still made according to the original 500-year-old recipe by Carthusian monks of the Grand Chartreuse monastery in Voiron, France — and only two monks hold the intel on the full recipe. Traditionally sipped post dinner, the herbal liqueur is making its way into prime-time craft cocktails. Here are a dozen places to find the emerald liquid throughout D.C.
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