Champs-Élysées | Russel House Tavern

Yellow Chartreuse is a complex & mysterious French liqueur that has been made exclusively by Carthusian Monks for centuries with over 130 types of mountain flora. Its namesake honors their monastery, Grande Chartreuse located in the French Alps. 

Chartreuse is a blend of herbs, roots, plants and leaves macerated into a base of wine and aged in oak barrels. The aroma is bright and sticky sweet, while the flavor is enticing with citrus, honey and herbal notes of voilet, anise, cardamom, thyme and coriander. The addition of saffron after the distillation process gives the liqueur its pretty pale yellow color. 

It is the latest addition to my at home bar, earning a permanent spot right up there with another one of France's finest, St. Germain and my longtime loves from Italy, Aperol and Campari.

It will come as no surprise then, that my intrigue sparked after noticing it as an ingredient on cocktail menus around town. Russel House Tavern does an impeccable version of the Champs-Élysées($10) which combines yellow chartreuse with cognac, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and angostura bitters. So good you guys!