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Cocktail History
The Chartreuse Swizzle is a modern cocktail that was created by Marco Dionysos at Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, California and was first published in The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH. It uses the classic swizzle template but calls for Green Chartreuse, a one-of-a-kind herbal French liqueur, as the base and pairs it with fruity pineapple, citrus, and velvet falernum for a tropical twist.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Green Chartreuse: This is a base spirit. It’s a French liqueur made by infusing over 130 different herbs and plants with sugar, water, and alcohol. It adds a unique sweet, spicy, and smooth flavor and distinctly herbal finish with notes of mint, sage, gentian, apple, and vanilla. Unfortunately, there’s no true non-alcoholic alternative to Green Chartreuse, so you can’t make this a mocktail without altering the taste.
Pineapple Juice: This adds sweet and fruity pineapple flavor. We prefer fresh pineapple juice, but you can substitute canned juice if that’s easier than juicing an entire pineapple.
Lime Juice: This adds sour citrus flavors for balance. Again, we prefer to use fresh lime juice.
Velvet Falernum Liqueur: This is a low-proof liqueur. It adds Caribbean flair with an infusion of botanicals along with lime, almond, and cloves. For a lower-proof version of this drink, try BG Reynolds Falernum Bar Syrup in place of the velvet falernum liqueur.
Pineapple Fronds: These are one of the garnishes.
Lime Slice: This is the other garnish. It adds more fresh lime aroma.
Tasting Notes
The Chartreuse Swizzle begins with the complex aroma of herbal pineapple and has a taste that features the sweet fruit at the forefront mingled with the unique grassy taste of Chartreuse and a bit of lime tartness, while the aftertaste comes forward with a bit of falernum spice mixed with a lingering herbaceous fruity note.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: We both thought this drink truly lived up to its reputation in the cocktail annals and deserves every bit of praise it gets. We wouldn’t call it an exact fit for the uninitiated, but this recipe will have any cocktail enthusiast craving another fruity, herbal swallow.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Though I’ve heard plenty of mentions of the Chartreuse Swizzle, I had never tried it until this tasting. As a lover of Green Chartreuse I figured I would really enjoy it, and I was absolutely correct. The pineapple’s sweet fruitiness blended perfectly with the proprietary herbal blend of the French liqueur, while the lime gave the drink a tiki-essential tartness and falernum brought up the rear with a touch of Caribbean flair. Though it only uses a small helping, the Chartreuse Swizzle is not lacking in alcohol content, and it’s sure to please anybody with an adventurous taste.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I already knew how much I loved Green Chartreuse in Alex’s tiki concoction, the Greena Colada, after tasting it last year, so I was really excited to see it added to the mix in another tropical recipe. This swizzle would have to be the best way I’ve seen it’s herbal quality highlighted so far. The liqueur’s unique flavor explodes in your mouth but is tempered by the sweetness of the fruity pineapple. Although pretty simple, this recipe has become iconic for good reason. I’d drink it again!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add Green Chartreuse, pineapple juice, lime juice, velvet falernum liqueur, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a highball or tiki glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with pineapple fronds and lime slice.
Ingredients
Directions
Add Green Chartreuse, pineapple juice, lime juice, velvet falernum liqueur, and ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a highball or tiki glass over fresh crushed ice.
Garnish with pineapple fronds and lime slice.
Make It a Mocktail: Unfortunately, there is no true non-alcoholic alternative to Green Chartreuse, so you can’t make this a mocktail without altering the taste. You can use BG Reynolds Farlernum Bar Syrup in place of the velvet falernum liqueur to try a slightly lower-proof version of this drink.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Chartreuse Cocktails
If you like this Green Chartreuse-flavored cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Chartreuse Toddy: A brandy cocktail made with water, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, honey syrup, and star anise
Lavender Sour: A gin cocktail made with lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, lavender syrup, egg white, and dried lavender buds
Last Word: A gin cocktail made with Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and a cherry
Greena Colada: A rum cocktail made with triple sec, lime juice, lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, velvet falernum liqueur, crème of coconut, mint, and a lime wheel
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