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.
