The Philly bars that keep secret stashes of Chartreuse

As global supplies of Chartreuse dwindle its mystique only deepens and its popularity increases. Luckily, Philadelphia bars have concocted not merely ways to get their hands on the spirit, a botanical liqueur produced by Carthusian monks in the Chartreuse Mountains in southeastern France, but even their own, Philadelphia-made versions.

In 2021, the monks of the Carthusian order, an extremely secluded Roman Catholic order founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 who adhere to a life of absolute silence and solitude, announced a cap on the production of their cordial, which they had been making since the 18th century. The recipe is culled from an ancient manuscript on the “Elixir of Long Life.”

The iconic green liqueur is made of 130 plants— there is also a Yellow Chartreuse that is milder and sweeter due to the inclusion of honey and saffron —and is the base for several famous cocktails, including the Prohibition-era Last Word and the Naked and Famous (a classic cocktail from New York’s Death & Co.). With robust alpine notes, it is also commonly served neat. It’s also a favorite of bartenders and mixologists nationwide.

“It adds depth and character to cocktails,” said Neill Laughlin, a partner and manager at Old City’s Sassafras.

With the rise of the craft cocktail movement in the early 2000s and then drinking habits during the pandemic, which drove people to start shaking up more cocktails at home, Chartreuse has only gotten increasingly more popular.

The monks’ decision to limit their production has had a trickle-down effect for Philadelphia’s cocktail programs, like the one at Sassafras, run by Laughlin and Donal McCoy. Philadelphia’s bars already struggle with obtaining specialty liqueurs due to Pennsylvania’s Liquor Board restrictions. But Sassafras, who maintains its own long history (almost 50 years in business), doubled down on Chartreuse-based cocktails, adding four to their new bar program (which changes quarterly). It’s no easy feat: a search of the PLCB’s Fine Wine and Good Spirits site shows no bottles of Chartreuse in stock at all.

“You need to have contacts within the PLCB,” explained Laughlin. “Certain [liquor] portfolios are broken down to different vendors and it’s a lot of homework to discover who has what products and how to get them. The liquor control board took it away from the stores and allocated Chartreuse to certain bars and restaurants — but you have to buy it in bulk.”

And so, Sassafras has been stocking up on Chartreuse for years. Supply is never regular. “There’s no warning when the ship [from France] comes in and how much you’re going to get,” said Laughlin, who just two weeks ago, managed to obtain four cases each of Green and Yellow Chartreuse.

“We’re comfortable offering six cocktails at Sassafras that use it,” said Laughlin. The newest cocktails at Sassafras include the 1904 ($65) featuring Yellow Spot Irish whiskey, Chartreuse VEP, and Antica Formula, Naked and Famous ($17) made with Catedral Espadin Mezcal, Aperol, Yellow Chartreuse, and lime juice, the Champs-Elysees ($16) with St-Rémy VSOP, Green Chartreuse, lemon juice, Angostura bitters. And for high rollers, the bar has also debuted one Chartreuse-based cocktail that costs $115 The Àrd-Rìgh (Irish Gaelic title meaning “High King”) is crafted with The Macallan Rare Cask, alongside Chartreuse VEP and Chartreuse MOF — “two exceptionally rare and highly coveted expressions of the French liqueur,” said Laughlin.

Chartreuse has also entranced newer cocktail programs, like the one at chef Scott Calhoun’s Ember and Ash. Calhoun also recently put a Chartreuse cocktail on his menu: “Our Herb Your Enthusiasm ($19) is a play on a gimlet with Green Chartreuse, gin, charred fennel and cucumber syrup, and lime,” he said.

“When we start to get low on either and our purveyor is out, I scour the PLCB online system to have bottles shipped to my local store for pick up,” said Calhoun.

The dearth of Chartreuse has also inspired Chris Fetfatzes of Grace and Proper and Sonny’s Cocktail Joint, establishments known for crafting their own spirits like amari. Fetfatzes’ liqueur, dubbed the “Green Monk” is made with about forty botanicals and is inspired by the forty Kelpius monks of the Wissahickon, a doomsday cult that inhabited Wissahickon Valley Park in the 1690s.

“Green Monk has a hint of chamomile, a hint of mint, and a hint of génépy with a little bit of a menthol burn,” said Fetfatzes.

And given that it’s produced in Philadelphia and not by actual monks, a shortage is unlikely. .