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! :)
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.
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 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!!
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!
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!".
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!
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!
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!
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
@@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
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 🍻
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 🍻
Boomsma Cloosterbitter recipe was developed in the early 1400s by Cistercian Monks of the Claerkamp monastery in Friesland, northern part of the Netherlands (the Green Chartreuse recipe was discovered and given in 1605 to French Carthusian Monks by Francois-Annibal d'Estrees, a French Diplomat - the monks worked on the recipe up to 1737). The monastery of Claerkamp was founded and built in 1163 by Cistercian Monks who came from the French Abbey of Clairvaux (which was itself founded in 1115 and was the epicenter of the Cistercian order - that was an offshoot of the Benedictine order since 1098). The Carthusian order was itself founded in 1084.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
come to Canada, especially Montreal, there's plenty of bottle of chartreuse everywhere XD (the liqueur store right at the corner of my street has 20 bottles of them XD)
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.
My guess is that the green colour are from wormwood. I am experimenting with infusing dried herbs in alcohol and the bottle with wormwood do have a very dark green colour. Add other herbs to the mix and you might get the colour of that "Cloosterbitter" (monastery bitters eng).
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!
Catholic sources have told me that the charism of the Carthusians is to only produce and sell enough Chartreuse to support themselves, i.e. they are not focused on profit. This is done as a curb to the temptation of becoming a "business" when their primary focus is on prayer and labor. As a Catholic, I can appreciate this. As a lover of mixology, I can't help but feel slight dismay.
That Boomsma bottle is a jug or kruik in dutch. It’s an old design (I agree that that doesn’t make it less bad) Back in the day they would return the jug and they would clean it and refill it. Back then you would have a profession called kruikenruiker, this roughly translates to jug sniffer. They would literally snif the jug to determine if it was clean enough to be cleaned and filled. Cloosterbitter translates to monastery bitters.
Honestly in the big cities, its not that hard to find. Just ask your local liquor store and have them check their records of when they may get some in. It's $60 here in Austin but the 3rd bottle I bought a few weeks ago was only $55. The liquor store I go to say that it has definitely gone down in stock but they still get regular shipments of the bottles. Yellow does seem harder to find.
The Cloosterbitter’s color is in part due to FD&C Yellow #5. It’s the closest flavor profile to Green Chartreuse that I’ve tasted (out of 8 “substitutes”), but the color being artificial was a bit of a let down. If that were 55% like GC, I bet it would be super close on the palate. Also, Ver is the better liqueur to test against GC as opposed to Iris (both made by Elixir in OR). I haven’t had Iris, but the flavor profile as described on their website seems much less Chartreuse-like than Ver (which I find to be noticeably different anyway).
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.
Can you believe whilst clearing out my mother-in-law‘s house we found an original bottle from the 1970s. Before we bothered to google it we opened it and started drinking it. It is in perfect condition. I didn’t realise how much money it was worth but it is really delicious. But no regrets, it’s good to taste the old stuff at 96% proof. 😂😂😂 Thanks for the video. I’ll have to try what’s left in a cocktail as we’ve only drunk it neat.
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.
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.
I have found something that I think is the closest yet to Green Chartreuse!! I tasted them side by side and they are very close. It's called Auvert Liqueur and it is made by Imperial Measures Distilling in Adelaide Australia. Give it a go!!
Hey Anders, at the bar I work at in Wisconsin, (The Winery Bar at the American Club in Kohler) we have multiple bottles of the Green and Yellow Chartreuse V.E.P. If you ever are in Wisco you should stop by and have some. I'd totally keep a bottle set aside and buy it at cost for you as a gift. We'd love to have you by!
Always found it funny when people say that no one but monks knows the recipe. It's Kosher, that means the recipe in full is written in the records of a mashkiach (Jewish person in charge of ensuring it's kosher) and whatever organization they're getting their hechsher (kosher certification) from. Same with other "secret" recipes like coke, if it's kosher some Jews know it 😂.
Some Virginia ABC stores (state-run liquor stores-only authorized retail liquor vendor in the state) still have limited quantities of Yellow Chartreuse. They’ve been out of stock on Green for months. Personally, I’ve never tried either one, in a cocktail or otherwise. List price for both yellow & green is $67.99.
We sell chartreuse at my work. Three months ago it was 66.5 usd for green and 60 for yellow. It is currently 70 for green and 76.5 for yellow. When I started at this company it was 50 for green and 45 for yellow.
Thanks for this, fortunately I still have a bottle of that green liquid gold but will drink much less of it knowing the situation… only for special occasions now. Thanks again for getting me obsessive over everything cocktail related, cheers 😊
I was able to get a bottle of green Chartreuse this past week from the Pennsylvania state store Fine Wine and Good Spirits via special order from their website. Cost me 71$ after tax and shipping. Took about a week and a half to arrive at the store.
didn't realize you were based out of Chicago! stumbled upon an enormous amount of green chartreuse recently at Humboldt Haus. $90 a bottle, but they had plenty of them in stock. a few 375ml bottles of yellow chartreuse as well
I saw a few (750 ml) bottles of Chartreuse on the shelf in a local grocery liquor department (in SE Wisconsin) over the 4th of July holiday weekend, for $52.99. I wished I'd bought one or two of them! The Genepy is intriguing though. Cheers.
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.
Wild idea - what if you married a bottle of the lower ABV Torella to the higher one (assuming that has a similar flavor profile), you'd end up with a similar ABV to Chartreuse
For once it pays to be in Ontario liquor wise. Since the LCBO (liquor control board of Ontario) is such a huge buyer, we have tons of it in almost every locations. A full shelf by my house right now.
You can also try Verveine du Velay. Denoix also made very good liquors but different from Chartreuse. La Gauloise and Izarra are copy of Chartreuse but not as good as the original one!
After watching this I hit a couple local package stores (liquor stores to those of you not from New England), and actually found a bottle of Green Chartreuse for $62.. which I immediately snapped up, and I tried a Last Word for the first time.. and DAMN it's good. Now I'm sad it's so rare. I'm about to try the Final Ward as well, but I'm getting a taste for Chartreuse drinks. Thanks for all of your videos, they've really helped me step up my cocktail game.
I don't wanna know a life without Chartreuse. Also, I'd be curious what you think of the THE HERBAL ELIXIR DE LA GRANDE-CHARTREUSE. Also, the V.E.P Chartreuses (Green & Yellow respectively) are fantastic. I hope I can find & purchase a bottle someday. Also, if you ever end up in Baltimore I once found an excellent Chartreuse Bar during a visit called Idle Hour. I highly recommend.
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
From what I’ve read the Carthusian Monks have declined to increase production to match rising demand not that they will be producing less of it, unless there’s an article or statement I’ve missed which is possible. Therefore, it’s still scares because of its high demand. Just like with whiskey, there will be people who buy up all they can find now just to have it in fear of missing out in the future 😔 Fortunately, I can still find it for the time being. Not that I’m in need but it’s nice knowing it’s there. It’s very expensive though $120 whereas 6 months ago I bought a bottle of both green and yellow for $70 each! I definitely love these comparison videos. Your cordial/tasting glasses are adorable 😍😅 Just for science and pure intrigue, I’ll be giving Genepy & Torella a try as I can get those in my area and maybe someday Boomsma & Faccia Brutto if I can get my hands on bottles. As always, thanks for what you both do 🤩 Cheers!
My understanding is genepy is an umbrella term for alpine liqueurs. And therefore, Chartreuse is, in fact, a genepy. Nevertheless, I've tried a few different genepys over the years and they all work pretty well as a substitute for chartreuse in a Last Word. No, they don't tick all the boxes (the same way Coke's competitors cannot mimic coke, but they're all recognizable as colas) but the drink retains it's integrity. Will keep a look out for these other alternatives featured here. And speaking of substitutes: isn't there a passage in The Sun Also Rises where a waiter tries to peddle a Chartreuse knock off on Jake Barnes and he sends it away dismissively? Nazarra, maybe? Or something like that? It's been a few decades.
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.
Here in Pennsylvania we have state stores. Pa. buys more wine and spirits than any company except Costco. We have contracts with producers that are decades long. So we’ll still get our chartreuse we’ll just have to sweet talk our state employees.
chartrese was ok, in the early 1990s, before the price doubled. I remember being at a battle of the bands when my friend asked the bartender for "more pinesol please."
Anders! You are missing out on Norseman's Olympia! By far the closest chartreuse replacement I've found and it's from MN so I'd guess you could get it in Chicago too.
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)
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...
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. 🙂
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!
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!".
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
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!
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!
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)
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.
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.
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.
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?! 😉
TO THE BAR! ➡️🥃
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.
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! 👍👍👍
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?
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
@@kap5160 Austin gets a shipment every month or so. Green not Yellow though.
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
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 🍻
Boomsma Cloosterbitter recipe was developed in the early 1400s by Cistercian Monks of the Claerkamp monastery in Friesland, northern part of the Netherlands (the Green Chartreuse recipe was discovered and given in 1605 to French Carthusian Monks by Francois-Annibal d'Estrees, a French Diplomat - the monks worked on the recipe up to 1737). The monastery of Claerkamp was founded and built in 1163 by Cistercian Monks who came from the French Abbey of Clairvaux (which was itself founded in 1115 and was the epicenter of the Cistercian order - that was an offshoot of the Benedictine order since 1098). The Carthusian order was itself founded in 1084.
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.
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
finished my last bit of Green Chartreuse while watching this. my heart shed a single tear o7
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
come to Canada, especially Montreal, there's plenty of bottle of chartreuse everywhere XD (the liqueur store right at the corner of my street has 20 bottles of them XD)
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.
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.
My guess is that the green colour are from wormwood.
I am experimenting with infusing dried herbs in alcohol and the bottle with wormwood do have a very dark green colour.
Add other herbs to the mix and you might get the colour of that "Cloosterbitter" (monastery bitters eng).
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!
Catholic sources have told me that the charism of the Carthusians is to only produce and sell enough Chartreuse to support themselves, i.e. they are not focused on profit. This is done as a curb to the temptation of becoming a "business" when their primary focus is on prayer and labor. As a Catholic, I can appreciate this. As a lover of mixology, I can't help but feel slight dismay.
That Boomsma bottle is a jug or kruik in dutch. It’s an old design (I agree that that doesn’t make it less bad) Back in the day they would return the jug and they would clean it and refill it. Back then you would have a profession called kruikenruiker, this roughly translates to jug sniffer. They would literally snif the jug to determine if it was clean enough to be cleaned and filled.
Cloosterbitter translates to monastery bitters.
Honestly in the big cities, its not that hard to find. Just ask your local liquor store and have them check their records of when they may get some in. It's $60 here in Austin but the 3rd bottle I bought a few weeks ago was only $55. The liquor store I go to say that it has definitely gone down in stock but they still get regular shipments of the bottles. Yellow does seem harder to find.
The Cloosterbitter’s color is in part due to FD&C Yellow #5. It’s the closest flavor profile to Green Chartreuse that I’ve tasted (out of 8 “substitutes”), but the color being artificial was a bit of a let down. If that were 55% like GC, I bet it would be super close on the palate.
Also, Ver is the better liqueur to test against GC as opposed to Iris (both made by Elixir in OR). I haven’t had Iris, but the flavor profile as described on their website seems much less Chartreuse-like than Ver (which I find to be noticeably different anyway).
Oh sad. The artfifcial color is definitely a let down.
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.
Welcome back, Anders. It's friends.
Can you believe whilst clearing out my mother-in-law‘s house we found an original bottle from the 1970s. Before we bothered to google it we opened it and started drinking it.
It is in perfect condition.
I didn’t realise how much money it was worth but it is really delicious. But no regrets, it’s good to taste the old stuff at 96% proof. 😂😂😂
Thanks for the video. I’ll have to try what’s left in a cocktail as we’ve only drunk it neat.
96 proof is 48% btw, lower than what is sold today (55%)
@@ultrahalokilller hmm didn’t know that. Thanks. I’ll enjoy it more now without feeling the guilt 👍
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 really enjoyed the Faccia Brutto "Aperol", which also had less sugar than traditional Aperol.
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!
I have found something that I think is the closest yet to Green Chartreuse!! I tasted them side by side and they are very close. It's called Auvert Liqueur and it is made by Imperial Measures Distilling in Adelaide Australia. Give it a go!!
Hey Anders, at the bar I work at in Wisconsin, (The Winery Bar at the American Club in Kohler) we have multiple bottles of the Green and Yellow Chartreuse V.E.P. If you ever are in Wisco you should stop by and have some. I'd totally keep a bottle set aside and buy it at cost for you as a gift. We'd love to have you by!
Always found it funny when people say that no one but monks knows the recipe. It's Kosher, that means the recipe in full is written in the records of a mashkiach (Jewish person in charge of ensuring it's kosher) and whatever organization they're getting their hechsher (kosher certification) from.
Same with other "secret" recipes like coke, if it's kosher some Jews know it 😂.
Some Virginia ABC stores (state-run liquor stores-only authorized retail liquor vendor in the state) still have limited quantities of Yellow Chartreuse. They’ve been out of stock on Green for months. Personally, I’ve never tried either one, in a cocktail or otherwise. List price for both yellow & green is $67.99.
We sell chartreuse at my work. Three months ago it was 66.5 usd for green and 60 for yellow. It is currently 70 for green and 76.5 for yellow. When I started at this company it was 50 for green and 45 for yellow.
Thanks for this, fortunately I still have a bottle of that green liquid gold but will drink much less of it knowing the situation… only for special occasions now. Thanks again for getting me obsessive over everything cocktail related, cheers 😊
The title makes want to cry. 😢 But I needed this video to help me grieve and move on.
I was able to get a bottle of green Chartreuse this past week from the Pennsylvania state store Fine Wine and Good Spirits via special order from their website. Cost me 71$ after tax and shipping. Took about a week and a half to arrive at the store.
didn't realize you were based out of Chicago! stumbled upon an enormous amount of green chartreuse recently at Humboldt Haus. $90 a bottle, but they had plenty of them in stock. a few 375ml bottles of yellow chartreuse as well
i like that you coordinated today with the chartreuse Tee-shirt.
I have been waiting for you to make this video! Lived up to all my hopes and dreams, thank you!
I saw a few (750 ml) bottles of Chartreuse on the shelf in a local grocery liquor department (in SE Wisconsin) over the 4th of July holiday weekend, for $52.99. I wished I'd bought one or two of them! The Genepy is intriguing though. Cheers.
Hello Anders, I bought the green Chartreuse, 0.7 litres, today in my City, here in Germany for 30.99 euros. The yellow one costs 29.99 euros. 👌😊
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!!
Good to know, I will keep my current original bottle of Chartreuse like a rare chef-d'œuvre (masterpiece)
I love this longer in depth style. Would LOVE more of these
Literally laughed out loud at this. Entertaining and educational at once!
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.
Cool video, Anders, as usual ! :) Looking forward to watching another comparison with other Chartreuse based cocktails :) Cheers!
Wild idea - what if you married a bottle of the lower ABV Torella to the higher one (assuming that has a similar flavor profile), you'd end up with a similar ABV to Chartreuse
Fortunately no shortage here in Canada....yet.
Another quality video. Big Chartreuse fan. Loved this.
For once it pays to be in Ontario liquor wise. Since the LCBO (liquor control board of Ontario) is such a huge buyer, we have tons of it in almost every locations. A full shelf by my house right now.
R.I.P. the Last Word, Champs elysee, Naked and Famous, and all the other great cocktails that rely on chartreuse.
The sale of Chartreuse allows the brothers and fathers of the order to operate 21 Carthusian monasteries.
That was fun! Even more fun for you.
You can also try Verveine du Velay. Denoix also made very good liquors but different from Chartreuse. La Gauloise and Izarra are copy of Chartreuse but not as good as the original one!
A bottle of Charteuse Verde I've ordered yesterday is on the way to me. Lucky me.
I need to try this. Thanks for pouring one for us. What an important liquor right now.
After watching this I hit a couple local package stores (liquor stores to those of you not from New England), and actually found a bottle of Green Chartreuse for $62.. which I immediately snapped up, and I tried a Last Word for the first time.. and DAMN it's good. Now I'm sad it's so rare. I'm about to try the Final Ward as well, but I'm getting a taste for Chartreuse drinks. Thanks for all of your videos, they've really helped me step up my cocktail game.
I bought the last two bottles of them at my local shop. Gonna savor them. I want the Faccia to be the best replacement because of the color alone.
I don't wanna know a life without Chartreuse. Also, I'd be curious what you think of the THE HERBAL ELIXIR DE LA GRANDE-CHARTREUSE. Also, the V.E.P Chartreuses (Green & Yellow respectively) are fantastic. I hope I can find & purchase a bottle someday. Also, if you ever end up in Baltimore I once found an excellent Chartreuse Bar during a visit called Idle Hour. I highly recommend.
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
I got really lucky some weeks ago and a local town liquor store did not know about the Chartreuse shortages and had 3 bottles - I bought them all.
From what I’ve read the Carthusian Monks have declined to increase production to match rising demand not that they will be producing less of it, unless there’s an article or statement I’ve missed which is possible. Therefore, it’s still scares because of its high demand. Just like with whiskey, there will be people who buy up all they can find now just to have it in fear of missing out in the future 😔 Fortunately, I can still find it for the time being. Not that I’m in need but it’s nice knowing it’s there. It’s very expensive though $120 whereas 6 months ago I bought a bottle of both green and yellow for $70 each!
I definitely love these comparison videos. Your cordial/tasting glasses are adorable 😍😅 Just for science and pure intrigue, I’ll be giving Genepy & Torella a try as I can get those in my area and maybe someday Boomsma & Faccia Brutto if I can get my hands on bottles.
As always, thanks for what you both do 🤩 Cheers!
My understanding is genepy is an umbrella term for alpine liqueurs. And therefore, Chartreuse is, in fact, a genepy. Nevertheless, I've tried a few different genepys over the years and they all work pretty well as a substitute for chartreuse in a Last Word. No, they don't tick all the boxes (the same way Coke's competitors cannot mimic coke, but they're all recognizable as colas) but the drink retains it's integrity. Will keep a look out for these other alternatives featured here.
And speaking of substitutes: isn't there a passage in The Sun Also Rises where a waiter tries to peddle a Chartreuse knock off on Jake Barnes and he sends it away dismissively? Nazarra, maybe? Or something like that? It's been a few decades.
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.
The Boomsma has a similar bottle shape as old-school genever bottles. Which makes sense because it’s Dutch.
Could you mix any of the alternatives together?
Also from Oregon, The Accompani Flora Green is one to look out for.
Genepy is less erbal because it's made only from Alpine Artemisia, it's a classic drink from the alps between piedmont and Aosta in italy and france.
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!
I haven’t finished watching the video yet but just wanted to throw out that Ver liqueur out of Oregon could be a great addition to this list.
I love the scientific approach!
“The chartreuse shortage is not the end of the world” sure feels that way 😢 - thanks for the ray of hope. I’ll try a couple of these
Here in Pennsylvania we have state stores. Pa. buys more wine and spirits than any company except Costco. We have contracts with producers that are decades long. So we’ll still get our chartreuse we’ll just have to sweet talk our state employees.
chartrese was ok, in the early 1990s, before the price doubled. I remember being at a battle of the bands when my friend asked the bartender for "more pinesol please."
Anders! You are missing out on Norseman's Olympia! By far the closest chartreuse replacement I've found and it's from MN so I'd guess you could get it in Chicago too.
I've described the Faccia Brutto's color as "swampy"
Have you tried Becherovka? It's a Czech herbal liquor that's technically a bitters. It's taken as a digestiff, which is how I take it.
Looks like with the Iris you invented a new cocktail! I propose “The Last Aviator” 🍸
Got two bottles in reserve, they're like liquid gold at this point!
you can still find them in Copenhagen we serve it at the bar I work at