We respect the rules of old-school journalism enough to generally avoid advocacy here at the Hoarding Corner. That said, once in a while, an issue of such paramount importance comes up we are forced into writing a polemic. In this case, it’s green Chartreuse, which, we hear from a reliable source, the LCBO is considering de-listing*.
Now, we’ve been wrong once before about a future de-listing. The reports of the death of Hunter S. Thompson’s favourite bourbon turned out to be slightly off the mark, since it’s being replaced with a new Turkey that looks to be pretty much the same as the old Turkey. We hope we’ll be wrong about this one, too, since green Chartreuse’s fate is not yet decided. Perhaps this little bit of cocktail advocacy (and the ensuing uprising from the drinking public) will help them make the right choice.
Green Chartreuse is absolutely essential in cocktails like the prohibition-era Last Word—equal parts gin, lime juice, maraschino, and chartreuse—which was revived to great acclaim in Toronto cocktail bars about a year back. The popularity of that drink spawned a new generation of original cocktails, including Ghostface at Yours Truly, the Battle of Algiers at Churchill, and Sunset on the Prairie at the Drake Hotel (to name just a few). And we’re not even going to bring up the fact that it’s a great time-honoured tradition to open up the Chartreuse every year as the first snow flies. If green Chartreuse became a seasonal product brought in through vintages, how would we guarantee we always had a bottle handy for the onset of winter?
Now, I don’t want to panic anyone into serious hoarding—there are still plenty of bottles left at the LCBO as it stands. But now is the time for action, people. Preserve your right to make the Sunset on the Prairie at home, any time of the year.
Sunset on the Prairie (The Drake Hotel)
1.5 oz Buffalo Trace bourbon
.75 oz green Chartreuse
.75 teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters
2 bar spoons of maraschino cherries and juice (sour cherries can be substituted)
A touch of freshly grated cinnamon to garnish
LCBO 37333, $31.35 (375 ml)
CORRECTION, OCTOBER 22, 2012: Since this article was first published, an LCBO source has confirmed that green Chartreuse is not being de-listed.
