Testing Chartreuse alternatives! The Chartreuse APOCALYPSE is upon us
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Today we’re exploring alternatives for Green Chartreuse! I’ve been in denial long enough - this shortage on Chartreuse isn’t coming to an end anytime soon. Luckily we’ve got options! We’re putting five herbal liqueurs to the test to see if any come close to the unique flavor of Green Chartreuse. Let’s hope so - my Chartreuse supply is looking pretty sad.
Get your Bitter Bear merch! 👉 bit.ly/chartreusesubstitutes
My bottle collection at Curiada 👉 bit.ly/bourbonsweetteaandmore
New customers use code ERICKSON for $5 off!
Use code ANDERS for free shipping on orders over $200!
Sign up for my newsletter: anderserickson.com
Video/editing/illustrations by Azusa Inaba 🎥 🎨
TIME STAMPS
Intro: 0:00
The Elixir of Life: 1:20
The Contenders: 2:57
First Impressions: 3:33
The Cocktail Test: 12:00
Final Thoughts: 15:26
THE LAST WORD RECIPE
3/4 oz (22.5 ml) Botanist Islay Dry Gin
3/4 oz (22.5 ml) Green Chartreuse (or herbal liqueur alternative)
3/4 oz (22.5 ml) Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
3/4 oz (22.5 ml) fresh lime juice
Cocktail cherry for garnish (optional)
THE TOOLS
My workhorse double jigger: amzn.to/3lmmKrK
My go-to large shaking tin: amzn.to/33vnMLJ
My go-to small cheater tin: amzn.to/3qecbe5
Hawthorne strainer: amzn.to/2VBUSWh
Fine mesh strainer: amzn.to/4akT1dn
My citrus bottles: amzn.to/3BScssO
Hand juicer: amzn.to/3ioOwFeRubber
Rubber bar mat (6"x12"): amzn.to/3h2IJER1Ajo9w
The coupe: amzn.to/378o4xk
Special thanks to our top-tier patrons:
Adam Greetis
Jacob Swain
Brandon Carey
Randy Calegari
Mike Russo
Bdxman
Matt Dougherty
Michael Cooney
Matthew Crowley
Kevin
Callum Evans
Dzomery
Derek Patstone
Rick Turoczy
Alex Rosenberg
Silverio
Al Gailey
Joshua Penley
Sheri Muilenburg
Antonio Moreno
Connie & Rob Chapin
David McDermitt
Chris Roberts
Howard Pollack
Bruce Stark
Kevin Wildman
Silas Hale
Brian Gordon
David Byrne
Nate
Support us on Patreon: / anderserickson
Follow Me:
Web: www.anderserickson.com/
Instagram: / anderserickson
Facebook: / andersericksoncocktails
Twitter: / anderserickson_
Send stuff to:
Anders Erickson
4610 N. Clark St
Suite 1051
Chicago IL, 60640
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Coming in late today - sorry guys. Hope you enjoy this one! And let me know if you've found any other good options!
Not a problem for us in NZ. Going to stock up on green today!
East Coast here. You had us worried! 😁
S'il vous plaît ne soyez pas stressé.
Et merci à tous pour tout ce que vous avez. ^_^
I just bought a bottle of genuine green Chartreuse today at my local liquor store! I wouldn't call it a Chartreuse "apocalypse" LOL They are still making it, it might just be a bit harder to find. I will have to try these alternatives at some point! :)
Not a problem for me.
It is 8:am in Stockholm Sweden now.
For me Chartreuse are history and it is time to look around for new ingredients.
CORRECTION: They are not reducing production, they are simply not *increasing* production to meet higher demand.
THANK YOU for that clarification. Anders perhaps misrepresented teh state of things.
I had to scroll a long way to find the only comment clarifying this, that's crazy. Exploring alternatives is a great idea, but I hate that the scarcity mindset is going to encourage every douche-nozzle that resold a PS5 to go buy up what we do have available. Or even the average cocktail Joe to buy 4 bottles when they find it, to adorn their shelves for 4 years while others go without. Just so unnecessary.
Why won't they increase production? Its not like they've always produced the same amount, seems like they're being dicks
Exactly right. Anders' condescending tone is telling - not everyone is interested in maximising output, quality (both in life and product) matters.
I think they also want to diversify production (with non-alcoholic products)
Thanks for including us, Anders! We do put less sugar than Chartreuse in our product, hence the "sharpness" and more upfront alcohol on the palate. Cheers!!
I love the name of your product!
Made a great cocktail! Cheers!
Faccia Brutto looks like a short sentence in Italian but with a bad grammatical error, is there a reason for this? (just curious)
@@deimos_doc Yep! We wanted to name it like that, that's all. We are Italian and speak Italian. Ugly face, Ugly grammar, delicious spirits. Cheers!
Just picked up the Amaro Gorini and Centerbe. Always cool to see the distiller show up in the comments. 🙂
Here's a tip: Try looking for green chartreuse outside of your usual stores. True story: I was up at my usual liquor store planning to buy some green chartreuse when the guy behind the counter told me the whole story about how no one could get any right now. While walking home, I noticed a small corner store with a good selection of liquors. On a whim, I went in and asked if he had any green chartreuse. He thought a moment, then dipped below the counter and pulled out a 750 ML bottle. Price : $40.
That's how I found a Hennessy Fine de Cognac bottle after it was out of production. :)
The silver lining is the shortage has inspired a lot of really good small batch distilleries on a local level to try their hand at a chartreuse-esque liqueur. There's one in my town (Eastern Kille distillery, Grand Rapids, MI) that produced what they're calling "Genepy" made with a blend of 25 ingredients, and it's pretty amazing. It tastes like the midpoint between yellow and green chartreuse, maybe slightly more bitter, and comes pleasantly close to green chartreuse in a cocktail. I'm hoping to see more delicious alternatives pop up everywhere.
Good to know...I have seen a few different Earstern Kille products on the shelves here in the D so maybe this will hit soon. Or, I just take the two hour drive!
The Elixir Iris is much more of a Yellow Chartreuse! They make a Green Chartreuse replacement called Ver that you should have tried instead. It’s great.
Thanks he talked about ver but didn't buy it. I can find that easy near me
I looked up Ver in my Total Wine and More app and they carry it…..🎉Score!
Ver is the way...
Hi there, I'm French and I live in Lyon (2nd biggest city in France, about 2 hours from the Massif de la Chartreuse) and even for us, the price has increased (by 5€) to around 35€. The classic one is still relatively easy to find but the V.E.P. is extremely hard to find even for us.
The price has increased mainly due to the constant rise of demand, but they're not going to decrease the production they're just going to raise the price.
I also read an article about the price in trans-Atlantic countries being about to explode due to the monk being more global warming aware and their desire to be more eco-friendly, they have decided to ship their product exclusively through sail boat not sure if it's true or not yet.
In my city and the region, Chartreuse is heavily consumed we drink it as a digestif, in a shooter, or cocktail at a party (chartreuse with a little bit of tonic is amazing, cuts the high ABV while keeping most of the flavor and only cost around 10€).
In Lyon there's this nightclub called le sucre (one of the biggest for electronic music in Europe) who's the number one chartreuse consumer bar/nightclub in the world, the chartreuse "company" actually asked them to tone down the consumption of their product because they were selling so much of it.
I went to Lyon for the first time this summer. A great city. The visit will certainly not be the last time
After seeing several US cocktail videos saying that Chartreuse is going out of stock immediately, I was amazed at how strongly Chartreuse is present in Lyon: everywhere and I mean everywhere, the shelves were full of Chartreuse bottles.
Greetings to Lyon!
So sad.... In Paris, I pay easily 45 euro for green chartreuse.
@@slickytailfunny, I pay 35€ in my german village
TO THE BAR! ➡️🥃
Interesting to see how well the Cloosterbitter is doing. Here in The Netherlands, Chartreuse is not commonly sold at liquor stores, but it's available on order. The price used to be around the Eur 35,- mark, but seems to have gone up to Eur 45,- at the moment. Boomsma is from The Netherlands, and considered to be a decent budget brand that makes all kinds of spirits. It's currently priced around Eur 14,- which makes it 1/3 the price of Chartreuse. Will definately try this out!
Chartreuse "Vegetal" is much more widely available, at least here in Chicago. I put together a roughly 4:1 mix of Heirloom Brand Genepy and Chartreuse Vegetal and it's pretty damn convincing! Should be about 55% ABV. I also added a tiny bit of blue food coloring and it works great as a Green Chartreuse substitute!
Living in the Netherlands the only one of these bottles I could find was the Boomsma, but for only 13 euros a bottle it's hard to say no.
Génépi is an herb that grows in the alps. I really enjoy Génépi on the rocks as a digestif. If you ever get a chance go to the Grand Chartreuse, do it. You can’t go into the actual monastery but there is a museum to visit. It’s on the route between Grenoble and Chamonix which is beautiful. I’ve had Génépi beer in Chambéry.
One of your best videos yet! I recently tried a Chartreuse Swizzle at local cocktail bar and was devastated to learn I wouldn't be able to replicate it on my own due to the shortage. Now I have some hope again.. To the bar!
Hey Anders, comrade here.
I'm from Tarragona (Spain) a small city at south of Barcelona. We had a small factory from carthusians monks here until 1989 so the city es provided 100% of chartreuse.
I know for you americans is hard to get it, but if you really need i'll be glad to sent you a few bottles!
BTW. I invite you to discover our tradition with chartreuse, we enjoy our cocktail made with chartreuse called "mamadeta" (LittleBJ in english) in september and we have our exclusive bottle of Chartrueuse made for us that is called TAU, a special mix of yellow/green.
Thank you for all you work mate. You helped me alot in my career.
What a kind sentiment, this warms my heart. Anders, I hope you see this comment, would love to see you try this!
Don't lose hope! I walked into a liquor store last week and found one of each for $70/ea. Didn't want to be greedy so I left some on the shelf.
I live in Ohio, an ABC state, and it's sold for $65 and regularly in stock at most of the liquor stores near me.
I just realized I'm at that age where a lot of people who can drink might not get the "be kind, rewind" reference.
Thank you for doing this research for us! I am so sad that I've been out of Chartreuse for so long. I went to a distillery in Denver that claimed to make a good substitute and it really didn't hold up in the Last Word.
Tip: mixing several of these together yields something more complex and closer to green chartreuse than any one of them by itself. I've been very impressed mixing Genepy, Cloosterbitter, Ver, Centerbe, and a couple of others.
Fucking oath! This guy gets it! 👍👍👍
A few weeks ago, one of my regulars at the Binny's I work at came in looking for Green Chartreuse and I had brought in the Genepy as an alternative about a week earlier. He was hesitant that a bottle half the price could be an equal substitute, but he came back a few days later and bought 3 more bottles just to stock up. Also grabbed a bottle of Strega Liquore as his yellow alternative in that second trip as part of my suggestions and he was also quite happy with that substitute. Glad to see how they all compared in a cocktail, too. Big help and also gave me some ideas for some other bottles to try to bring into our store.
Strega is really cool, and they have a Strega nougat chocolate that is fantastic, highly recommend if you can ever find it (I bought mine while in Rome but some places import it)
Here in Minnesota I have a distillery near me called Norseman that makes their Olympia liqueur. Really a delightful local variant that works as a green chartreuse substitute.
I’m down for supporting my local distilleries these days. There’s some really cool stuff happening.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve seen it on the shelf, but now I’ll give it a try
Head to head with Chartreuse in a Last Word, I think Norseman Olympia makes a better cocktail.
Olympia is a great substitute!
Try Vikre Distillery's Herbal Liqueur for a yellow Chartreuse alternative. Works well in a Last Word as a Green sub, but leans more towards the yellow with some honey notes.
The last time I ordered Chartreuse, I accidentally ordered 2 bottles and was like "Oh Great!" all sarcastically, 1 week later I heard of the shortage and was like "Oh Great!".
I was in Amsterdam for business this past week and popped into a specialist spirits retailer. They had Green Chartreuse and I just had to bring it back home with me! I'm so excited to try this liqueur.
I live in Amsterdam! Do you remember the name of the store?
Cloosterbitter is my personal go to for an alternative! Fun fact, the recipe actually pre-dates the Chartreuse recipe by 200 years or so, being from the early 1400s. Like Chartreuse, the recipe also comes from a monastery that was founded in the 1100s (In Friesland I believe - correct me if I’m wrong). Cool bit of history surrounding Cloosterbitter. Love the Torella and the Genepy from Dolin as well.
You are correct. The history of the influence of the monastic orders at that time is quite interesting. Boomsma Cloosterbitter recipe was developed by Cistercian monks in the very early 1400s and Green Chartreuse by Carthusian Monks from 1605 to 1737. The Yellow Chartreuse recipe was finalized in 1840 I believe.
Frisia
@@ssballs Frisia is the english way of saying Friesland, which is dutch, Frisia being a province of the Netherlands. The Frisians have their own name for Frisia however, which is Fryslân
PERFECT timing for this video to release! Ive been dying yo get my hands on some chartreuse, but its so hard to get hold of, especially here in the UK, cant wait to hear these alternatives, thank you :)
Have been trying to decide on an alternative between the iris, Génépy, and Brutto (the 3 i can find) for Chartreuse. After this, im gonna give Génépy a shot. Much thanks for putting in the time and money to decipher between them so that we don't have to. 😂 Cheers 🍻
Hope you enjoy it - cheers
I picked up a bottle yesterday and gave it a try in a last word last night alongside one made with green chartreuse. Genepy really is a great substitute. I don't think I'll feel like I'm depriving myself of anything when I swap out Chartreuse. It's nice to save some bucks too!
@mdbbox Picked up a bottle last night and just came to the same conclusion. A solid replacement in a cocktail and, for me, was almost half the cost of Chartreuse the last time I bought it. Glad to know these will not be our final Last Words 🍻
Even tough there is no new cocktail for me to try out: this is my favorite video so far. I really appreciate what you’ve created, thanks so much, Anders! Cheers.
After sales and liquor tax, 750 ml bottles of yellow and green are nearly $100 in Seattle. I did see many bottles in local shops last time I was in Dallas around $50-55 each. I should have bought some to take back north with me!
I’m in dallas and haven’t been able to find it for a while now.
Total Wine ran out over a year ago, but one of our state's oldest liquor stores still gets a monthly allocation. I have been stocking up.
@@jasongowerI’m in Seattle, too. What store?
Sheeeeeshh 100 bucks is a ripoff, 50-55 is pretty good for the us, in france near where it's produced it's like 45 $ for 750 ml retail price and sub 40 if you get a good deal.
For 90-100 here you can get a bottle of liqueur du 9 eme centenaire which is the the top shelf chartreuse
@@kathyperantie5160 Austin gets a shipment every month or so. Green not Yellow though.
I just started making cocktails as a new year resolution and could not find chartreuse, all liquor stores were treating my husband and I like we woke up from a coma when we asked for it 😂 we got VER from Portland, we don’t have a point of reference but we really liked it for the first time we made a Last Word
I have been waiting for you to make this video! Lived up to all my hopes and dreams, thank you!
I love this longer in depth style. Would LOVE more of these
I appreciate this channel. This came across my feed as I was literally sipping a chilled green Chartreuse (from my 1/2 precious bottle I have left). Very very appreciated video.
400 years making chartreuse and they decide to stop the moment I get into this hobby
They didn't stop, they are making as much as they ever did. They are just not increasing output to meet enhanced demand.
And, just as you got into the hobby, so many of us have done so after 2020, and the focus on classics is what's driving the demand up. In a way, we're the cause of our misfortune.
@@johnsonhall2595 thanks for clarifying, just that its a simplification of this causing it to be out of stock
Well at least I know who to blame now, what'd you do to piss off the monks?! 😉
Definitely enjoyed this one so much, Anders. i was missing recently a bit of attention on the hard classics, and Chartreusse and Last Word are definitely in that category.
The video I was waiting for. I tried researching myself and I was also close to buying an alternative based on my judgement...but then I thought, what would Anders recommend? So I waited patiently and HERE WE ARE! Thanks again Anders!
Genepy is traditionally made with a single plant, the genepy plant. However there are different varieties of the plant and you can use it fresh or dried to get a greener or more yellow liquor. Then the recipe is 40 cube of sugar, 40 strands of genepy and macerated in liquor for 40 days. Chartreuse almost certainly contains a good amount of genepy.
Literally laughed out loud at this. Entertaining and educational at once!
Yes! YES! Thank you. I've been researching the topic of alternative to Chartreuse for several months now, ever since I read that the Carteusian monks will stop producing the stuff as much as they used to. I can still probably find a few bottles online, but at some point, I won't be able to. Good to have those alternatives. Thanks Anders :)
fantastic, super-helpful work here, Anders. thank you so much! i've been hearing about the Genepy and the Faccia a lot, so it was great to see them represented and reviewed. The others were new to me, but now i'm sold -- i need to find a bottle of the Torella or the Boomsma, because they sound great. The Genepy also sounds like a good contender.
I was waiting for this Chartreuse video from you :D You are one of the best Mr Anders, thank you :)
Interesting video. Great descriptions of the various tastes and mouth feels. Keep it up!
Gonna have to experiment a bit, thanks for all of the info and for taking the time to mix up 6 Last Words.
Just came through Duty Free in airport in Lyons, France, and they had a whole wall-full of every size of both Yellow and Green Chartreuses. No shortage in France :) I wonder if Duty Free shops in the States would be the same.
I've been looking forward to your video all day!
Appreciate the patience - happy weekend!
Cool video, Anders, as usual ! :) Looking forward to watching another comparison with other Chartreuse based cocktails :) Cheers!
finished my last bit of Green Chartreuse while watching this. my heart shed a single tear o7
Great video! I was inspired to scour my local liquor stores and found a few bottles that I have stashed away- and really good prices too!
Anders, thank you for this public service. I recently scored a bottle of Green Chartreuse for $70 at my local Total Wine (limit 1), and, before that, a bottle of Yellow Chartreuse for $60 when I thought Green Chartreuse was already gone for good. At my rate of using them, I should be set for a long time. I have never heard of any of the liqueurs you have there, so I might need to check. The Boomsma sounds promising to me. Kudos for having the stamina to try all of these neat AND in a cocktail. Cheers.
Great Video! I love Chartreuse - both green and yellow, so it is good to know there are other products available that may work until the monks get busy again.
Always check the dusty bottom shelves at you local Korean liquor store. I found 4! bottles of green and yellow tucked way back behind a bunch of random stock
I got a bottle today by chance and danced my way out of the liquor store! Total score! Thanks for sharing these alternatives! 😊
Another quality video. Big Chartreuse fan. Loved this.
Yaaaaaas friend, been waiting for a Chartreuse eps for-evs! And FYI, here in NorCal we've been having better success sourcing both green & yellow at craft grocery stores vs liquor stores...I think mostly because liquor hounds don't think to look there...give it a try!
@AndersEricson absolutely love the content you produce. I never heard of Chartreuse, but on the hunt for the green! Question: if you wanted to make two of the same drink, would you make one at a time, or double up the recipe? Thanks in advance!
One at the time, doubled. 😂
Thank you so much for letting me know about Dolin Genepy! I've learned that I actually prefer it to Chartreuse in The Last Word, and it's half the price!
Wow, I loved this experiment! I have a bottle of Flora Green Accompani Liqueur that I've been trying in Chartreuse cocktails. It has a strong chamomile flavor that is super unique but I really like.
I only started to get into bartending as a hobby a few years ago. I finally got to the point of wanting a bottle of Chartreuse right about the time it was getting hard to find. I have never owned a bottle of Chartreuse or ever made a last word myself. I feel your pain. I will be travelling to Europe later this year however and hope to find a few bottles to bring back.
Great vid. Ive got to try some of that stuff. Fantastic channel.
That was fun! Even more fun for you.
I need to try this. Thanks for pouring one for us. What an important liquor right now.
Something really bizarre: I live in Japan and it's often difficult to find the kinds of bottles you use in your videos, but somehow a couple weeks ago I got a bottle of Green Chartreuse for a little over 4,000 Yen - that's less than $30 at the current exchange rate (in which, tbf, the Yen is weak, but it would still be nowhere remotely close to $75 in more even conditions).
This video was great! Love chartreuse, a good friend of mine comes from this region in France and she gifted me some little bottle from that brand to try and I love them all
We've enjoyed the Brucato Chaparral as an alternative. Local to us in SF, lovely flavor and though a bit different and not as hot, a really good substitute in a Last Word.
We use Brucato orchards in a dark Manhattan as a regular cocktail in our house. They make really good stuff.
Came here to add this comment! I've never had green chartreuse by itself to test, but I've loved Chaparral both plain and in a last word!
Thank you for this!
Thanks for this, fortunately I still have a bottle of that green liquid gold but will drink much less of it knowing the situation… only for special occasions now. Thanks again for getting me obsessive over everything cocktail related, cheers 😊
In an effort to find a replacement from video. I found a bottle of green and yellow. It’s been over 2 years that I’ve been looking. Amazing!!
I picked up a bottle of the Dolin Genepy a couple weeks ago. It's definitely not Chartreuse, but, it's really enjoyable and it's relatively inexpensive
Anders, I was unaware of the shortage, but I had introduced my best friend to The Last Word because of you and now it’s his favorite drink. I have to admit as soon as you started the video I was concerned as he raves about them and I have to make him a couple every time he comes over. Thanks for the suggestions!
There are on line stores selling it for 3x the typical price ~$50 for a 750 typical pre-pandemic. Like toilet paper, there was hoarding and panic buying. Eventuality, things will calm down, but don’t expect the price to come all the way back.
Really enjoyed this and thanks....very helpful.
Thank you for the episode! I got a bottle of the Genepy a couple of days ago and tried it in a Last Word. My wife and I did a taste testing with some of our remaining bottle of Chartreuse as a comparison. It was close, and it worked as a substitute (and it may be what we have to look forward to in the future😞).
Hi Anders!! I haven't lacked in Green Chartreuse lately and I feel lucky! Vancouver seems to have quite a bit! I don't use it too much but I do enjoy Green and Yellow Chartreuse a lot and they sure add exquisitely to cocktails! Delicious! The Genepy is my favourite Chartreuse alternative! It just works for me! Faccia Bruto isn't really like Chartreuse but I like the colour and I love the flavours and mixed in a Last Word I'm reminded of Green Chartreuse! It does work for me! I enjoy them both alone over some beautiful ice or in fab cocktails! The flavour explosion with Chartreuse is something I really like! Genepy is less herbal for sure but it's still so lovely! Hang in there while the Chartreuse shortage hags on and I hope you have some more access soon!! 🙂
Happy to hear you still have a good supply by you! Not the case here, but happy to see some fun alternatives available. Hope you’re having a great weekend Christine!
@@AndersErickson Thanks Anders!! Cheers!! Hope you are having a great week!! 🙂
I love the scientific approach!
awesome video! we definitely need to start experimenting!
That was so cool. Thank you.
Nothing like prepping for some cocktails tonight with a new Anders vid. Cheers mate 🍸
Happy weekend - cheers
Great, thorough, video! When I'd first read of this shortage some months back, I thought surely it was exaggerated, and that being such a relatively niche product, there'd still remain plenty on shelves... but more and more posts and videos kept alluding to the alleged shortage, which obviously lead to something of a buying-frenzy/mania among consumers, many hoarding the stuff. It's crazy to me to now hear folks like you suggesting they don't know if/when ever they'll come across VEP again, which seemed most always available... and, worse, to see folks acting like scoring the regular green/yellow is somehow a big deal. It really HAS gotten that crazy! Wow... Frankly, still kind of shocked at that.
Man...I really miss being able to make Last Words at home....thank you for doing this experiment and sharing your thoughts!
about a year ago i ordered a last word at the bearded lady in chicago. the bartender didnt have chartreuse but had me try an alternative, it was really good but i couldnt remember the bottle. until this video! it was the boomsma! was great and now i know what to pick up!
I personally love both yellow chartreuse and alternatives to it, specifically Strega. So good!
I really enjoyed the Faccia Brutto "Aperol", which also had less sugar than traditional Aperol.
My local store has been pushing Ver Liquer as an alternative, was hoping to see that. I do know where to get some Genepy though, so that's good. Very useful
Great timing! I’ve been out of Chartreuse and hankering for a Last Word. Went with Torella based on your high marks for it neat and in the cocktail.
Note: Evanston Binny’s had no Chartreuse but all of these alternatives!
excellent review!
Thank you for this video. I'm still holding for my three Chartreuse bottles (green, yellow, and an Elixir), but I'll notice the bottles featured in your video in my country, I'll be sure to grab one!
Good shirt choice for a Chartreuse episode.
In my local booze stores, I don't think I've ever seen chartreuse. I'll have to try to find one of these alternatives and try some of these drinks!
My local Total Wine has an Italian style herbal liqueur called 'Ver' that does a pretty good job in a Last Word. A bit sweeter, and not as hot or complex on its own, but it does the trick for the cocktail.
I'd also recommend VER, which comes surprisingly close. I've used as a fairly good substitute on drinks like Widow's Kiss with very little difference.
A 750 ml bottle is going g for about $100 locally. It was never cheap, but I’m going to stock up on a few bottles.
I had my first ever The Last Word a month ago, and it was a beautiful cocktail.
It’s still available and easy to find at the moment in Europe, but it looks like the price has gone up quite a bit. Fortunately I still have a bottle of green and yellow in reserve, but it looks like I'll try the Dolin at one point as I love their Vermouth.
I am very pleased to see the Centerba (Torella) among your choices! It is an excellence of the Abruzzo region, Italy. I believe he is undoubtedly the only one capable of worthily replacing Chartreuse. I personally use 70% abv and it's great...
It seems to be back, at least in northwest New Jersey. I visited 3 liquor stores last week and found 2 bottles at each store (so 6 bottles in total), and for the usual $60. There were fewer bottles available last month.
I used to be able to walk to the place where the Iris gets made. I LOVE the stuff, and the guy who makes it is fantastic, he'll give anybody a tour and talk about his process if you let him know you'll be dropping by.
Also he does make several more complex liqueurs! The iris is my favorite, but it is simple compared to things like chartreuse, yes. I like it best as an iris vodka lemonade.
Really great video, Anders! Along time ago, I made a drink with Chartreuse. I hated the drink, so I assumed I didn't like Chartreuse. I now make a drink with Chartreuse, and it is one of my favorites- and now the spirit is unavailable. 🙁 Thanks for showing some alternatives.
At 1:23, you used the word “momentarily” correctly! Nobody ever does! You did indeed talk about chartreuse momentarily (and not “a moment from now”). You are my hero, Anders!
There's a local distillery - Norseman, in Minneapolis - that makes an analogue for both green and yellow Chartreuse. They're very similar in flavor, thankfully.
I love Chartreuse in all it's versions and have been sipping it for over 40 years! I also spent years up a mountain in the alps where Genepi is made. I think the genepi is a good alternative, however i bought some Chartreuse in Italy last week and there did not appear any shortage ( unlike Campari during Covid). Back to the Genepi... There are loads of them in the French Alps and they all vary a bit, but most are good unless they are bright unnatural green! On the other side of the mountain in Italy the herbs are often infused in grappa and that does not taste anywhere near as good. off to make your Last word cocktail now. Never had one before, so most excited.
I've been using iris for a while, it's great stuff. My favorite recipe is 1.5 oz of tequila, .5 oz of mezcal, 1 oz of iris, and a dash of peychaud's and two dashes of mole bitters. Tastes great, I found it online and I call it a Oaxacan old fashioned.
The iris is a yellow chartreuse alternative. They make a separate liqueur called ver that is the green chartreuse alternative. Although it also isn’t quite up to spec.
i like that you coordinated today with the chartreuse Tee-shirt.
Killer, Anders. I was digging Boomsma and thought it was the best sub. Super helpful to see how each one shakes out. Wouldn't have even tried Genepy because the base profile is so different. Thanks!