Gin and basil, whisky and sweet vermouth, aged rum and allspice: Some cocktail flavor combinations always seem to work together. Chartreuse and chocolate is another pairing that seems never to go wrong. 

Chartreuse is a liqueur made by Carthusian Monks dating back to the 1700’s from a combination of 130 herbs, plants, roots, and leaves. It is wonderfully rich and so complex that it’s hard to distinguish too many individual components, but I taste minty fresh herbs and wintery spices most prominently. Chartreuse is available as the higher-proof Green Chartreuse and lower-proof Yellow Chartreuse.  

The first time I heard about the combination of Chartreuse and chocolate was in a blog post by bartender and brand ambassador Jamie Boudreau. His drink Verte Chaud is the simple combination of hot chocolate and Green Chartreuse, with a whipped cream topping. 

Since then, I’ve had the chocolate-Chartreuse combo in many different ways: hot, cold, served up in a cocktail glass or on the rocks. When I see the two ingredients listed together on a cocktail menu, I  always think, This one’s going to be delicious.