have been making Chartreuse from local plants for centuries, the monks started in the 2000s to make a Génépi as a sideline product. It is labelled "Génépi des Pères Chartreux" and is generally only available locally in a 70 cl bottle, usually labelled 40% alcohol. Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France In 2007, a special edition was created by the Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Sommeliers (Best Craftsmen of France) in partnership with the distillery. It is yellow in color (45% alcohol). Flavor Chartreuse has a very strong characteristic taste. It is very sweet, but becomes both spicy and pungent. It is comparable to other herbal liqueurs such as Galliano, Liquore Strega or Kräuterlikör, though it is distinctively more vegetal, or herbaceous. Like other liqueurs, its flavor is sensitive to serving temperature. If straight, it can be served very cold, but is often served at room temperature. It is also featured in some cocktails. Some mixed drink recipes call for only a few drops of Chartreuse due to its strong flavor. It is popular in French ski resorts where it is mixed with hot chocolate and called verte chaud, translating to "hot green". Chartreuse is one of the handful of liqueurs that continue to age and improve in the bottle. Accolades Chartreuse liqueurs generally have performed well at international spirit ratings competitions. The basic green offering has won silver and double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It has also earned an above-average score of 93 from the Beverage Testing Institute and has been given scores in the 96-100 interval by Wine Enthusiast. The VEP Green and VEP Yellow have generally earned similarly impressive scores. The basic Yellow Chartreuse has received more modest (though still average or above) ratings. Influence on color Chartreuse gives its name to the color chartreuse, which was first used as a term of color in 1884. Chartreuse yellow is a color originally named "chartreuse" in 1892 after Yellow Chartreuse liqueur, but since 1987 it has been called "chartreuse yellow" to avoid confusion with the green version of chartreuse. See also Stellina, a similar monastic liqueur made in the same region as Chartreuse Frangelico, a liqueur allegedly based on a monastic recipe Bénédictine, another liqueur allegedly based on a monastic recipe Centerbe, an Italian liqueur of pale green color made from mountain herbs Further reading References External links French liqueurs Herbal liqueurs