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Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

everydaydrinking.com

21–30 of 166 posts

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#21

Artificially limiting production on a secret recipe liqueur is a great tactic for turning what could be a commodity into more like a Veblen good. The opposite has happened to Campari, where you can now buy a ton of different red-hued craft aperitivo with similar flavor profiles. The article missed out on mentioning the best Chartreuse-based cocktail though: The Last Word. It’s absolutely sublime. https://en.wikipedia…

Alas, the Last Word was mentioned in passing, just not especially favorably:

> It’s honestly inspiring that the monks refuse to see their earthly purpose as satisfying the demands of some knucklehead mixologist doing his little riff on the Last Word at some lame speakeasy in some third-tier city.

Which is a shame, because it is a fantastic cocktail.

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#22

Artificially limiting production on a secret recipe liqueur is a great tactic for turning what could be a commodity into more like a Veblen good. The opposite has happened to Campari, where you can now buy a ton of different red-hued craft aperitivo with similar flavor profiles. The article missed out on mentioning the best Chartreuse-based cocktail though: The Last Word. It’s absolutely sublime. https://en.wikipedia…

Try the Final Ward (derivative of the Last Word)!

But my favorite Chartreuse drink by far is the Monte Cassino

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#23
Interesting. I live in Tarragona, the Spanish city mentioned in the article where Chartreuse was produced for a period of time. This left a profound mark in the city and nowadays Chartreuse is closely associated with the town celebrations, specially the main annual festival, Santa Tecla. The traditional drink for this festival is called "mamadeta" (which has clear innuendo in Catalan that I'll let you figure out), which is 1 part green Chartreuse and 2 parts yellow Chartreuse mixed with lemon granita ("granissat de llimona"). It is a bit pricier than the standard glass of beer but definitely affordable to pretty much everybody, including young people, so it was a bit shocking to see the prices listed in the article. I wonder how the reduced production will affect its consumption or even its presence in the celebrations going forward.

*Edit: spelling

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#24

Making millions of cases does not make any sense in today’s environmental content and will have a negative impact on the planet Interesting that they make this argument, and not the rather more obvious one that their 55 ABV spirit, like all spirits, is going to be overwhelmingly consumed by people who drink way too much.

Have you got any context for that claim?

(Context for the question - I barely drink spirits, but I used to enjoy them quite a lot at a time when I drank more in general, and I'd be interested to read about it, whether this is common etc)

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#25
post #3

Living in Grenoble (25km away from Voiron where the Chartreuse is made), I welcome this decision. I'd hate to see Chartreuse (also the name of the local mountain range where the monks' monastery is based) become industrialized to the point where its authenticity is lost, for the sake of global market supremacy. For an alternative, try Genepi. It's not a brand name, but another type of artisanal liquor made out of a c…

Is it not made by the same monks?

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#26
post #23

Interesting. I live in Tarragona, the Spanish city mentioned in the article where Chartreuse was produced for a period of time. This left a profound mark in the city and nowadays Chartreuse is closely associated with the town celebrations, specially the main annual festival, Santa Tecla. The traditional drink for this festival is called "mamadeta" (which has clear innuendo in Catalan that I'll let you figure out), wh…

Hey! We spend a ton of time in La Pineda/Vila-seca and I've never met another tech person there. Ping me, would love to get together with another HN member.

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree: the popularity explosion was accompanied by the development of local production in surprising places. You can now find good whisky nearly everywhere. And to be fair it’s the same with herbal liqueurs. Don’t get me wrong Chartreuse is good but it’s highly likely people can find something comparable produced close by.

Apparently, the five best substitutes for Green Chartreuse are Dolin Génépy, White Sambuca, Strega, Bénédictine and Drambuie. Can't say I tried any of them though.

Dom Benedictine and Hierbas de Montserrat are others.

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#28

Making millions of cases does not make any sense in today’s environmental content and will have a negative impact on the planet Interesting that they make this argument, and not the rather more obvious one that their 55 ABV spirit, like all spirits, is going to be overwhelmingly consumed by people who drink way too much.

People who drink way too much don't drink £55 a bottle spirits. They drink £20 a bottle spirits.

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#29

Chartreuse is a bit weird in that it's a kind of joint partnership between an isolationist monastery [1] and a liquor producer/distributor. I lived near Voiron and did the obligatory tour of the production facility (I already liked the liquor thanks to a friend (hey Iv!), and the place smelled delicious!) They do a good job maintaining the mystique of the Secret Recipe Known Only By A Handful™, which I suppose the mo…

Buckfast Tonic Wine, in the UK is produced in the same way.

And it has been much maligned, linked with many alcohol related crimes, particularly in Scotland.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Tonic_Wine

[2] https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/scottish-news/7702950/...

Re: Where has all the Chartreuse gone?

#30
post #24

Making millions of cases does not make any sense in today’s environmental content and will have a negative impact on the planet Interesting that they make this argument, and not the rather more obvious one that their 55 ABV spirit, like all spirits, is going to be overwhelmingly consumed by people who drink way too much.

Have you got any context for that claim? (Context for the question - I barely drink spirits, but I used to enjoy them quite a lot at a time when I drank more in general, and I'd be interested to read about it, whether this is common etc)

Here's a summary with references:

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/f98f97b1-en/index.html?i...

There's little reason to think expensive, exclusive spirits are exempt from this pattern.

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