forbidden forest

1 1/2 oz Courvoisier VSOP Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Calvados (Morin Selection)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a dehydrated apple slice (omit).Two Sundays prior, I returned to the set of online recipe flashcards for Butcher Chef in Toronto, and I spotted the Forbidden Forest. This circa 2021 cocktail read like an apple-tinged Prospector Cocktail, and it was perhaps a Harry Potter reference to the dark forest that borders the edges of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once mixed, the Forbidden Forest teased the nose with Cognac, apple, and herbal aromas. Next, apple and orange notes on the sip were ensnared by brandy, herbaceous, orange, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.

gypsy

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe. Online recipe flashcards include a lime wheel and Difford's Guide includes a lime twist. See the text below for two alternative recipesAfter writing up the Le Tour with Green Chartreuse and elderflower, I realized that I had not made the Gypsy for the blog despite making a lot of these since 2017 when it was on the menu at Our Fathers gin bar in Allston. The recipe was crafted by Dominic Venegas at Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco in 2007, and he described it as "a little homage to the Last Word cocktail." I made it using the recipe from the Our Fathers bar book that also matches Difford's Guide spec; however, after making the Gypsy, I found a set of online recipe flashcards from the Bourbon & Branch circa 2017 that have a more lime- and Chartreuse-forward version:

Gypsy (from Bourbon & Branch recipe cards 2017)
• 1 1/2 oz Gin
• 3/4 oz St. Germain
• 1 oz Lime Juice
• 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lime wheel.

That recipe would put it closer in the camp of a Last Word (instead of being lighter, less herbaceous, and more floral) despite lacking the nutty and fruity bass notes of Maraschino; I cannot find evidence if there was a change over time though. Curiously, Kindred Cocktails has the St. Germain company website's version that upped the Green Chartreuse to 1/2 oz from the way I made it. The opposite floral switch would be the Time Traveler at Brick & Mortar that swapped in elderflower for the Chartreuse. Made the way my old bar made and Difford's Guide have the recipe, the Gypsy wandered to the nose with lime, grapefruit, and herbaceous aromas. Next, lime and pear notes on the sip flipped into gin, herbaceous, grapefruit, and floral aromas on the swallow.

susie q

1 1/2 oz Suze
1 oz Ten to One White Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Hamilton's Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (1:1 passion fruit puree to simple syrup)

Build in a Collins glass, add crushed ice, swizzle to mix and chill, and garnish with a float of 1/4 oz Green Chartreuse.Two Tuesdays ago, I was invited to attend an Suze liqueur educational event at Backbar, and for drink options, there were four choices that fell into theme with their current Mix Tape menu. The one I selected was the Suzie Q by Iruma Shibuya named after the Creedence Clearwater Revival song and only overlapped with Trina's Starlite Lounge's Suze-E-Q with the Suze and lemon juice. This Suzie Q reminded me of the Saturn with the lemon, orgeat, passion fruit components as well as the Sinnerman (and my Sinnerman Swizzle inspired by it) with the Suze and allspice dram ingredients. In the glass, this Swizzle showcased an herbaceous aroma from the Green Chartreuse float. Next, a lemon and slightly creamy sip gave way to rum, passion fruit, and earthy herbal swallow with an allspice finish.

parade of the fairies

1 oz Banhez Espadin & Barril Mezcal
1 oz Cocchi Americano
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Galliano
1/2 tsp Rosemary Tincture-Bigallet Thyme Liqueur (50:50)

Stir with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with Mata Hari Absinthe.
After excusing myself at Amor y Amargo after a single round, I headed over to Pouring Ribbons a short walk away. There, I asked Steven the bartender for the Parade of the Fairies which seemed like an intriguing herbal mezcal cocktail that he described as their Sazerac riff. Here, the combination of Green Chartreuse and Galliano was one that I had noted worked well in the Jimador Sour at Craigie on Main. Once prepared, the Parade of the Fairies danced to the nose with vegetal and smoke notes from the mezcal plus herbal and anise accents from the Chartreuse and absinthe, respectively. Next, a sip with decent body and hints of orchard fruit twirled into a smoky mezcal, herbal Chartreuse, and spice swallow.

doppelganger

3/4 oz Genever (Bols)
3/4 oz Rhum Agricole (Clement Premiere Canne)
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Two Saturdays ago, I began the cocktail hour with a drink that I had spotted in Imbibe Magazine's online archives for the Doppelganger from back in 2011. The recipe was crafted at Vandaag in Manhattan that I had the pleasure to visit that year before they closed their doors midway through 2012. Vandaag focused on aquavit and Genever at the bar to work with their northern European-inspired food program. The Doppelganger with its pineapple juice and rhum in the mix along with the Genever seemed to match the summery mood.
Once prepared, the Doppelganger proffered mint and malt combining with hints of grassiness and pineapple on the nose. Next, lime and pineapple notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow gave forth malty and grassy flavors along with Chartreuse's herbal elements being modulated by pineapple.

bywater cocktail

1 3/4 oz Aged Rum (Turkey Shore's Old Ipswich Tavern Style)
3/4 oz Picon (Torani Amer) (*)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1 tsp Falernum (Velvet)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
(*) Postnote 8/16/24: More recent recipes such as in Punch have this with Averna instead of Picon with everything else held the same but the falernum upped to 1/4 oz. Punch also dated the original to 2007. 

A few Tuesdays ago, I turned to Under the Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide and spotted a drink recipe by Chris Hannah of Arnaud's French 75 in New Orleans called the Bywater. Chris described his recipe as, "On a much smaller scale, I've thought of the neighborhoods of New Orleans like the boroughs of New York City. I've always compared New Orleans's Bywater to Brooklyn, so... I decided to create the Bywater Cocktail following the Brooklyn's direction. Swapping an aged rum for rye whiskey and falernum and Chartreuse for the maraschino, I came up with a balanced cocktail." What drew me to the combination besides always enjoying Hannah's craftsmanship was the pairing of Picon with Chartreuse which worked so well in Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli's Jaguar at Eastern Standard; that drink which I tasted in 2007 was quite memorable for was the first stirred tequila drink that I had ever tried or even heard about.
The Bywater Cocktail greeted the senses with dark orange aromas. The orange notes continued on into the sip along with the rum and picon's caramel flavors, and the swallow offered funky rum and herbal notes with a caramel and spice finish. Indeed, Andrea commented that Chris Hannah "undertands the poetry of Chartreuse."

echo lake

1 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a coupe glass.
The other drink I asked bartender Sam Oliveri for at No. 9 Park was the Echo Lake which reminded me of the Green Ghost. It had been months since I had seen a tempting egg white drink on a menu, so I was definitely game. Once strained into a coupe, the Echo Lake shared a smoke aroma with Green Chartreuse's herbal accents. On the palate, a creamy smooth lime sip gave way to a softened mezcal and Chartreuse on the swallow with an orange finish.

of lambs and lions

1 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Avèze Gentian Liqueur
1/4 oz Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
For a second cocktail at Estragon, I perused Sahil Mehta's drink notebook and spotted Of Lambs and Lions. Sahil confirmed my assumption that this was his tribute to Spring. Once mixed, it offered a lemon, herbal, and floral aroma. A lemony sip gave way to green and earthy flavors on the swallow with a floral and lemony finish. Overall, Of Lambs and Lions came across like a more botanically driven Aviation.

11 + 2 / 12 + 1

1 1/2 oz Rabarbaro Zucca Amaro
1 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
2 dash Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a grapefruit peel over the top.

Two Thursdays ago, we got dinner at Tasty Burger in the Fenway and headed across the street to the Citizen. There, John Mayer and Katie were tending bar, and for a first drink, John suggested a Zucca cocktail. The curiously named "11 + 2 / 12 + 1" might have stemmed from the proportions all having 1's, 2's, and /'s; however, John explained that both "11 + 2" and "12 + 1" both have the same 13 letters in them. And that seemed like a good enough reason to have a drink!
The 11+2/12+1 began with a bright grapefruit aroma over herbal notes. A sweet grape sip gave way to a swallow where the Green Chartreuse was smoothed over by the Zucca. Finally, light citrus notes finished off this simple but elegant libation.

emperor's new clothes

3/4 oz Bourbon
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Bittermens Citron Sauvage
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
Two Mondays ago, we wandered down to the South End to visit bartender Sahil Mehta at Estragon. For a first cocktail, I had the Emperor's New Clothes since the combination of ingredients seemed like it could do no wrong. The drink began with a minty and Cynar funky herbal aroma. Caramel and malt on the sip led into Bourbon in the swallow and a minty, bitter herbal finish.

midas touch

3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon (*)
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.
(*) Perhaps Drambuie would work in a pinch.
Two Mondays ago, we ventured down to Estragon. One of the drinks that bartender Sahil Mehta made for us was his recipe for the Bärenjäger competition. His entry, the Midas Touch, utilized their honeyed Bourbon instead of the original honey liqueur, and he crafted it into a savory cocktail. Once mixed, the Midas Touch offered an herbal aroma from the Yellow Chartreuse and thyme. A sweet honey and lemon sip gave way to a savory dryness from the sherry on the beginning of the swallow. Next, the swallow ended with an herbal finish that gained mintier notes over time.

lost in laos

1 1/2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup
3 oz Coconut Milk
4 slice Cucumber

Muddle the cucumber. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice, shake, and double strain into a Collins glass with ice. Garnish with cucumber and a cherry, and add a straw.

Two Thursdays ago, Andrea and I traveled over to Sichuan Garden II in Woburn for dinner. For a drink, I asked bartender Ran Duan for the Lost in Laos. Ran described how he was inspired by Luc-Lac's tequila-cucumber Ramos-like Fizz, the White Buddha, and he crafted his own riff using some of the flavor elements. Instead of cream and egg white, he used coconut milk; while regular coconut milk would work, Ran opted for a canned drink available at Asian food markets that had a lighter body.
The cucumber garnish contributed greatly to the drink's nose. The lime on the sip mingled with the creaminess of the coconut milk. Next, the swallow proffered the great flavor combination of rum, cucumber, and Green Chartreuse. Overall, the balance was a touch on the sweet side so perhaps cutting the simple syrup amount in half would appeal to drier palates (the coconut milk drink might be sweetened a bit too), but the flavors definitely came together quite well.

start of a new road

1/2 oz Lagavulin Scotch
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

While I was finishing my Roots of Rum at Backbar, Steven Shellenberger sat down and asked bartender Sam Treadway for "something ruthless." To that request, Sam offered up a riff on Chris McMillian's End of the Road that appears in Beta Cocktails. Chris' drink is equal parts Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch, Campari, and Green Chartreuse. Sam substituted another smoky Scotch, namely Lagavulin but otherwise kept the drink the same in the first half of the volume. To the other half of the volume, he balanced the drink with rhum agricole and lime juice. Since the pairing of rhum agricole and Scotch worked so well in Ben Sandrof's Two Worlds Sour, I asked Sam for this Start of a New Road as my next drink.
The Start of a New Road's aroma was mostly smoky with some rhum and Green Chartreuse herbal notes poking through. A dry malt and lime sip preceded a smoky Scotch and grassy rhum swallow. At the end was a bitter note that was unlike either Green Chartreuse or Campari. When I mentioned this to Sam, he commented that the Campari only comes through in the color for him.

brandy fix

2 oz Landy VSOP Cognac
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Ornament with grapes and berries in season (blackberry, blueberries, mint). Serve with a straw.

Last Tuesday, I made my way down to No. 9 Park where bartender Ted Kilpatrick was presiding. For my first drink, I requested something made with brandy, and Ted replied that he was really excited about the Brandy Fix found in Harry Johnson's New & Improved Illustrated Bartender's Manual and asked if I wanted to give it a try. Despite a few changes to the proportions, his version was pretty true to Johnson's recipe. Keeping it old school was important for Ted will be serving this drink at an event at the Boston Athenaeum in early October. In addition, Eastern Standard's Kevin Martin and Drink's Josey Packard will also be making drinks at that event as well.
Honestly, I had never had a Fix before, and when I was reading David Embury a few weeks ago, I realized this. Fixes lost out to Daisies like (mint) Smashes lost out to Juleps. According to Embury, Fixes are pretty much the same as Daisies -- both are Sours with a flavored syrup or liqueur for the sweetener instead of sugar or simple syrup -- except that Fixes generally call for pineapple syrup and Daisies often specify raspberry syrup or grenadine. True, there are recipes such as Jerry Thomas' that contradict this, but Embury at least made an attempt to differentiate things.

This Fix started with a visually attractive assortment of berries in season and an aromatically alluring combination of brandy and mint. The sip was a sweet pineapple and lemon flavor followed by green Chartreuse complexity on the swallow. Overall, this drink could do no wrong, and its magic has certainly help up since Johnson transcribed it over a century ago.

deceiver

1 oz Gin (Aviation)
1/2 oz Chartreuse (Green)
1 dash Crème de Cacao (3/4 tsp Leroux)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top and float 2 drops of bitters (Gotas Amargas Peruvian Bitters).
After getting home on Sunday, it was time for a nightcap so I flipped through Boothby's 1934 edition of World Drinks And How To Mix Them and found the Deceiver. The nose of the drink was a combination of the lemon oil and cinnamon with other botanicals from the bitters. The Chartreuse and gin combined to give the drink a floral character; in retrospect it might have been aided by the lavender used in making Aviation Gin. A mint-like flavor from the Chartreuse along with chocolate notes from the Crème de Cacao appeared on the aftertaste. The Crème de Cacao and green Chartreuse made a rather good pair and the cacao seemed to sedate the lingering Chartreuse's intensity. I felt like the cacao amount could be higher, whereas Andrea thought that it was just right.

club forest cocktail

1/2 oz Port (Ramos Pinto Ruby)
1/2 oz Chartreuse (Green)
1 Egg Yolk
1/2 tsp Curaçao (Curaçao of Curaçao)
1/2 tsp Simple Syrup

Shake without ice and again with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.

On Friday night after a dinner at Baraka, we came home and were in the mood for cocktails. Flipping through the 1947 edition of Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide yielded the Club Forest Cocktail which appeared to be a more intense relative of the Coffee Cocktail. While both recipes contain egg yolks, the Club Forest Cocktail, however, would have less of a textural component since it lacks the Coffee Cocktail's inclusion of the egg white in the ingredients. To make up for it, the Club Forest Cocktail's ratio of egg yolk to the other ingredients is impressively high relative to most other flips. Another major difference is that the Coffee Cocktail's brandy is swapped for the intense Chartreuse liqueur and a dash of curaçao. My common assumption when the Chartreuse type is not specified is to interpret it as the original and more ubiquitous green variety which often contributes a lot of sharp herbal and spice notes to a drink.
The Club Forest Cocktail appeared almost like chocolate milk in some light and with a hint of purple in other. The freshly grated nutmeg provided a robust scent that led into a lush mouth-fullness from the egg yolk and port. Surprisingly, the green Chartreuse was rather smoothed out by these rich elements, and while subdued, these flavors were still noticeable at the middle of the sip and at the end of the swallow. The scant portion of curaçao, on the other hand, was rather elusive to my taste buds, and perhaps it would have been more evident had I interpreted the Chartreuse as the yellow variety. Such as switch would make for a sweeter and more mellow version of the Club Forest Cocktail which might be a variation worthy of a try.

final ward

rye
Luxardo Maraschino
Charteruse
lemon juice

From what I can tell from my 3 minutes of browsing (I need to get in the shower and off to work, sigh) this drink is a variation of the Last Word, and named to honor its creator. Citrus and I don't always get along but this drink was really lovely in a cool way. Definitely a nice finisher.

charles de gaulle

Green Chartreuse
mug of hot cocoa
cream on top

I will have to check on the quantity of Chartreuse that went into this because it was awfully tasty. The herbal flavor plays nicely with the chocolate somehow. I bet Benedictine used in this fashion would be luscious, too. Great end to the evening. The party that sat next to us all had shots of Fernet, which put that idea into my head, though I can't quite remember if the Fernet came before Chas. or after... Regardless, light conversation ensued and our neighbor turned out to be Ben of no 9 Park, who would be tending the next night... Thus, even more entries to catch up on!