Strega Liqueur

The sky is purple, the flare of a match behind a cupped hand is gold; the liquor is green, bright green, made from a thousand herbs, made from altars. Those who know enough to drink Chartreuse at Mardi Gras are lucky, because the distilled essence of the town burns in their bellies. Chartreuse glows in the dark, and if you drink enough of it, your eyes will turn bright green.

- Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls

Since the days back in the 90s when I was reading the horror novels of Poppy Z. Brite, I always made sure I had a bottle of Chartreuse liqueur around.  Over the years, I loosened up that tradition and allowed my one bottle to wither away, unaware that demand for this odd green spirit had soared while the Carthusian monks who produce it refused to increase production.  Word spread online about this shortage, and it became impossible to find. 

A week ago, Jenna surprised me with a yellow liqueur called Strega, with a neat Witch design on the bottle.  According to the manufacturer:  The life of Strega Liqueur began in 1860 evoking the old legend that places the city of Benevento as the former seat of witches’ rites. It is stated, in fact, that witches, from all over the world, gathered at night around a magical walnut, and that they had created a magic potion that united forever couples that drank it.  Turns out this thoughtful and impromptu gift has a very familiar flavor.  Despite being yellow, the combination of herbs and spices has made this liqueur taste extremely similar to the mysterious Chartreuse mentioned in those old horror novels. 

So until the demand diminishes or the Carthusian monks produce more, we'll keep a bottle of the Witch around.  Not sure if Poppy Z. Brite would approve of the substitution, but these are desperate times.

Elixir Of Long Life

The sky is purple, the flare of a match behind a cupped hand is gold; the liquor is green, bright green, made from a thousand herbs, made from altars. Those who know enough to drink Chartreuse at Mardi Gras are lucky, because the distilled essence of the town burns in their bellies. Chartreuse glows in the dark, and if you drink enough of it, your eyes will turn bright green.

Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls

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I always associated the anise liquors like Absinthe and Sambuca with the cooler months of Autumn.  Anything in that flavor range seems pretty appropriate for the dark cocktails of the Halloween season.  Chartreuse might not have anise in its mix of mysterious spices and herbs, but it's definitely in the same family with its flavors of citrus, clove, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme.  Definitely a Halloween varietal.

Back when we visited Lambertville the week before Halloween, we stopped into a candy shop and picked up some liquor-filled chocolates.  One of them sported an absinthe filling we were dying to try.

It was in that green swirly one in the middle of the back row.  The absinthe wasn't as pronounced as it should have been, but it definitely tasted dark and seasonal.

We found a recipe for Boozy No Bake Fudge Squares and this time you can taste the liquor.  The recipe called for absinthe, but we used cool green Chartreuse that we had on hand.  Turns out fudge is a perfect conduit for strange liquors.  

Chartreuse fudge will definitely be a regular in the Fall lineup.

Recipe here.

Chartreuse

On ice...

More about this strange green spirit.

Chartreuse

The sky is purple, the flare of a match behind a cupped hand is gold; the liquor is green, bright green, made from a thousand herbs, made from altars. Those who know enough to drink Chartreuse at Mardi Gras are lucky, because the distilled essence of the town burns in their bellies. Chartreuse glows in the dark, and if you drink enough of it, your eyes will turn bright green.

Poppy Z. Brite, Lost Souls


Image source.

Chartreuse

It's from a recipe protected by Carthusian monks living in a monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains. It's made from 130 herbal extracts, flowers, and secret ingredients blended with a wine alcohol base.
It's green.


I first heard about Chartreuse back in 1992 in Poppy Z. Brite's novel "Lost Souls" and assumed it was a fictional beverage. After spotting it (and buying it) in a liquor store many years ago, I've always made a point to own a bottle. Potent stuff. And there's just something about it that reminds me of Halloween.

Official Site

(The color Chartreuse was named after this drink)