To make the Drink Without a Name, I had to purchase Chartreuse and learned several things I never knew before. (Hey, alcohol as a “gateway” drug…to learning! Ha!) While it comes in two colors, yellow & green, it’s the green that is traditional. In fact, the name of the color derived from the liqueur and not the other way around. Chartreuse has been made exclusively by Carthusian monks for about 270 years and named after their monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains of Grenoble, France. The recipe is highly guarded, though we know it’s made with 130 herbs and aged in oak barrels. It’s one of the few liqueurs to continue to improve in the bottle as it ages.
As for its taste, it is exceedingly smooth, very herbal and bitter. Even medicinal. It reminded me of a digestif my friend brought me from the Czech Republic, once upon a time, Becherovka. It is not an inexpensive liqueur and now I know why. Given that it packs quite a wallop and challenges the contemporary palate, one doesn’t drink it in vast quantities. Therefore, it will last forever.
I had high hopes for this cocktail. How could you not with its cool, pale green hue made even more vibrant with the orange garnish. But at the risk of sounding downright Rumsfeldian, the DWAN tastes like Old Europe in a cocktail glass. Still, we were troupers and finished our medicine before we moved on to our next Saturday evening refreshment.
As for its taste, it is exceedingly smooth, very herbal and bitter. Even medicinal. It reminded me of a digestif my friend brought me from the Czech Republic, once upon a time, Becherovka. It is not an inexpensive liqueur and now I know why. Given that it packs quite a wallop and challenges the contemporary palate, one doesn’t drink it in vast quantities. Therefore, it will last forever.I had high hopes for this cocktail. How could you not with its cool, pale green hue made even more vibrant with the orange garnish. But at the risk of sounding downright Rumsfeldian, the DWAN tastes like Old Europe in a cocktail glass. Still, we were troupers and finished our medicine before we moved on to our next Saturday evening refreshment.
Drink Without a Name
2 oz vodka
1/4 oz Cointreau
1/8 oz Chartreuse
Mix over cracked ice, stir to chill and serve in chilled cocktail glass.
i am intrigued by this one.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've learned since, Chartreuse is often an accent to seltzer or tonic. That sounds interesting to me and will give it a try. Though I don't think The Ball-n-Chain will follow suit. If you find someone who has a bottle, ask for an ounce or two. Or put the DWAN recipe in your pocket and ask for one at a bar or restaurant. But do let the $60-a-bottle price tag moderate your intrigue.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to pass on this one! Nice history lesson though!
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