The Best Chartreuse Alternatives To Combat The Liqueur's Shortage

While isn't directly comparable to Chartreuse, it shares more than a few tasting notes. The traditional herbal liqueur is made in the European Alps, in the same region in which Chartreuse is produced, so while the ingredients of the latter are a closely-guarded secret, the two almost certainly have a few in common.

The thing that sets génépi apart is that it's made by infusing the base spirit with flowers of the alpine plant, Artemisia genipi, giving it a refreshing floral bouquet with hints of chamomile and mint. The use of the Artemisia genus also puts it in the same family as absinthe, meaning some varieties boast a hint of anise. Génépi offers a slightly earthy taste, with a pleasant bitterness that lingers on the palate, and it has a sweetness that makes it an appropriate replacement for yellow Chartreuse, the lighter and less intense of the two varieties. Try using it as a substitute in classic Chartreuse cocktails like the yellow Chartreuse Swizzle where the milder profile is boosted by sweet pineapple juice and zesty Velvet Falernum.

Elixir Combier is a French herbal liqueur produced in the traditional style with a secret blend of spices, roots, and botanicals. Inspired by a 19th-century recipe for a "hygienic dessert liqueur" by one Doctor Raspail, Combier produced the Elixir from 1852 until 1980 before it was discontinued.

Thankfully, as more bartenders began using herbaceous European liqueurs ubiquitously in their creations, Combier decided to revive the original Elixir in 2011. While we certainly won't claim the Elixir has any medical benefits, something that was easier to get away with 150 years ago, we can discuss its delicious flavor profile. The aroma is a harmonious balance of the drink's herbal and floral elements, including anise, citrus peel, and coriander. Meanwhile, its taste is herbaceous and moderately sweet, with a touch of cardamom and clove spice and a pleasantly lingering aftertaste. 

As a substitute, Elixir works best as a replacement for yellow Chartreuse, particularly in the classic Bijou where it accentuates the botanical complexity of the gin and vermouth-based drink while adding a subtle spiciness to the drink.

Centerbe is a style of Italian liqueur from Abruzzo, whose name — like Centum Herbis — means "100 herbs," albeit in the Italian language this time, as opposed to Latin. However, rather than being produced in Italy, Faccia Brutto is actually a Brooklyn-based distillery and, despite the name, their version of Centerbe contains just twenty botanicals.

Known for their organic digestivos and aperitivos, Faccia Brutto is the brainchild of the former executive chef of the top Brooklyn restaurant, Rucola, so you can expect a liqueur that's both innovative and authentic. While its light green hue is certainly reminiscent of Chartreuse, the lower amount of ingredients means Faccia Brutto Centerbe isn't as syrupy as the original, and it's more bittersweet.

Boasting a captivating list of botanicals such as lemon balm, anise hyssop, nettles, and coriander, and a unique flavor profile, Faccia Brutto Centerbe works best as an alternative to yellow Chartreuse. Its lower intensity makes it the perfect substitute ingredient for a Yellow Smash cocktail, but it also stands on its own legs and can be used to add a spicier and more herbal profile to classic cocktails, like a gimlet.

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Accompani is the name Straightaway Cocktails — a producer of ready-to-drink bottle cocktails — gives to their bespoke line of liqueurs, vermouths, and amari. While their whole range is certainly worth exploring, the multi-award-winning Flora Green is the liqueur of choice for anyone looking for a suitable alternative to Chartreuse.

Bright and herbaceous, Accompani Flora Green uses Mediterranean ingredients like hyssop, chamomile, and lemon balm to create a liqueur with a distinctive alpine character that could have come straight out of Europe. Its aroma contains notes of citrus zest, oregano, and thyme, while on the palate, it offers a fresh and mildly sweet taste, followed by a gentle bitterness and a long-lasting herbal aftertaste.

Flora Green is a little too overpowering to replace yellow Chartreuse, but it makes an excellent alternative to the green style. Try using it in a twist on a Herbal Martini, ramping up the botanical flavors with gin and extra dry vermouth, and bolstering the zestiness with a touch of limoncello for a lighter, Mediterranean twist on one of the classics.

Strega is another liqueur with plenty of history behind it and was created back in 1860 by Carmine Vincenzo Alberti and his son, Giuseppe Alberti. If the names didn't give it away, Strega — meaning witch — is another Italian liqueur and gets its name due to the legends of witchcraft in the region of Benevento where it is produced.

Strega became so iconic that the company eventually gained a royal warrant from the king, although it took almost 150 years before it received international acclaim, coming to the attention of mixologists and bartenders around the world. With a recipe including around 70 herbal ingredients, including Apennine juniper, Samnite mint, Ceylon cinnamon, and Florentine iris, Strega gets its striking golden yellow hue from the addition of saffron which is present in its aroma, along with fennel. It has a complex coniferous taste that balances sweetness and spiciness with a warm, lingering finish.

Strega has found its way into iconic cocktails of its own, like the Witches' Daiquiri which includes golden rum, orgeat, and lemon and orange juice, but it also works well as a substitute for yellow Chartreuse in cocktails like the Honey Badger and Corpse Reviver No.2.

Fernets are a style of Italian amaro that stands out due to their higher ABV and acute bitterness, at least when compared to similar digestivos, and the most well-known brand is Fernet Branca. Not only has the liqueur gained somewhat of a cult following among bartenders across the world, but it's also found a home somewhere you might not expect.

Fernet was introduced to Argentina in the late 19th century, as many Italians and Spanish began immigrating to the country, and it sparked a national love for the liqueur that's unmatched anywhere else on the planet. Fernet and Coca-Cola has since become the unofficial national drink of Argentina, and Argentinians are responsible for three-quarters of global fernet consumption. In terms of Fernet Branca's 40 ingredients, it takes a little guesswork, as the precise formula is a trade secret, but it's assumed to contain rhubarb, gentian, myrrh, and bitter aloe among others.

Fernet Branca is famous for its intense herbal and menthol notes and has an aroma of eucalyptus, chamomile, and saffron with a big bold, bitter taste. You can use it as a replacement for green Chartreuse, but beware that it's not as sweet, so you'll need to adjust accordingly. We suggest trying it in a creamy Chartreuse Flip to expose Fernet's chocolate and mint flavors.

While you might not think of sambuca as closely related to any of the other liqueurs and spirits on this list, it does have a distinctive and vibrant flavor profile which is part of what makes Chartreuse so charming. Like absinthe, sambuca is very anise-forward which is something to bear in mind when you're using it as a substitute in cocktails.

Although sambuca is on the sweeter side, like yellow Chartreuse, its strong flavor profile makes it a better alternative for green Chartreuse. This means you'll want to pay attention to the other sweet ingredients in your cocktail and balance the components out accordingly. As with absinthe, you also need to be aware that the anise is really going to shine through, so you should choose flavor combinations that support that aspect of the drink.

For example, subbing out green Chartreuse for sambuca in a Piña Verde gives you a fruity, tropical twist on the Piña Colada, where the anise characteristics play nicely with the pineapple juice, and the lime and cream of coconut cut through some of the intensity.