Once upon a time, many years ago, I was working in a bar in rural Ireland. I was 16 or 17, I was alone in the place, it was a slow afternoon, I was crouched down, putting bottles on shelves, idly wondering what the strongest drink - highest ABV - in this place was. Most spirits were about 40%, many less, some slightly more. At that moment I happened to look up and I swear a beam of sunshine at that moment lit on a bottle of green chartreuse above my head, highlighting the “55% ABV” on the label. In my memory, music also chimed. I just had to taste this stuff, so I poured a tiny drop into a glass. O. M. G. It. Was. _Vile_. To this day, it is my benchmark for how bad something tastes.

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supern0va 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In fairness, I thought the same thing about most types of beer at that age. If you like cocktails and interesting flavors, Chartreuse is genuinely excellent and beloved by bartenders. There are bars that have drink programs that specialize in it, and this has been a thing since far before the shortage.

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tptacek 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's very sweet. The thing here is nobody drinks it straight. Do equal parts Chartreuse, gin, Maraschino, and lemon juice (a Last Word); it's hard to hate, and a good introduction to what Chartreuse is about. My next move would be to put it in a Sazerac.

	▲	kasey_junk 41 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Throw it in hot chocolate in the winter after doing winter stuff. Though green is my preference for that, both work.
	▲	starkparker 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		If you want to use it in a Sazerac, swap it in for the Peychaud's and soak a real sugar cube with it instead of using simple syrup. I don't personally like it, but IMO it's the only good entry point for it in terms of texture. The other option is a Carthusian, which puts a 1/4 oz. in and swaps the Peychaud's with lemon bitters to offset with acid.

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baggy_trough 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's definitely strong and has an intense herbal flavor. There are far viler spirits, though (try Suze). Personally I find it an enjoyable sipper!

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hilariously 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Malort tastes like Meyer's lemons (the ones you use to clean things instead of eat) and anise, most people without a strong anise culture would hate it.

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tptacek 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Malort tastes like what it is: a cleaning solvent. It's a prank Chicagoans play on tourists. The authentic, artistically coherent version of Malort is Novasalus.

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OkayPhysicist 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Malort improves a lot with a little airing out. Straight out of the bottle and into a shot glass tastes like poison, but if you leave it in a glass, maybe giving it a few swirls for a bit while doing something else (like trying to convince someone to try it for the first time), it tempers out quite a bit, and, while still bitter, becomes a drink that at least sometimes can be enjoyed.

	▲	kasey_junk 40 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		But basically every amaro/bitter liqueur is better for this

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wvbdmp 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

What? Chartreuse is delicious. But more importantly, the crazy ABVs are in overproof rum. Some are over 75%. Not advisable to drink neat. And much more disgusting.