Fool Me Twice…

Loyal reader Jerry G posted a message to this blog, insisting that I “have to get back on that Green Chartreuse Horse!” And he helpfully provided a recipe for a cocktail called a Green Ghost.

Now, leaving aside the wisdom of risking the horrible hangover I experienced from the Herman and the Lily, I was intrigued by the recipe Jerry sent. For starters, it’s incredibly easy to make, and I already have the three simple ingredients. Second, the recipe is in video form, and I have a man-crush on the giant Aussie teddy bear who’s making it. And finally, I think enough time has passed since my unfortunate Chartreuse incident, and it’d be interesting to see if that spirit is as foul and dangerous as I remember it. So, throwing caution to the wind, I figured I’d make me a Green Ghost.

The Recipe: Here’s the video. It’s only 4 minutes and well worth watching:

So, to summarize: Mix 1 oz of London dry gin, 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse, and 1/2 oz lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Strain it into a glass, and garnish with a lime wheel. Done!

The Ratings: This is a nice-looking, respectable drink. It looks like lemonade, a little opaque with a slight fizz. It’s elegant and fresh and bright–everything you wouldn’t want in a Halloween cocktail. Accordingly, I have to give it no points for appearance.

The taste starts out citrus-forward, brisk, and tart. But each successive sip tastes more and more bitter. The citrus quickly falls away, and you’re left with the volatile organic bite of cheap paint thinner. There’s nothing to attenuate the sharp, acrid sear of the Chartreuse. Suddenly, my earlier misadventures with Chartreuse come crashing back, and I’m ready to pour it down the drain. But first I offer a sip to my wife, because (1) maybe it’s just my PTSD that’s preventing me from ever enjoying Chartreuse again, and (2) it’s fun to watch her face when she drinks something she hates. Reason #2 was operative this time, and Karen gave a nauseated expression and asked “Why would you want to torture your tastebuds?” I poured the rest down the drain. No points for taste. I just can’t get on the Chartreuse Train. Sorry, Jerry!

But I have to admit that “Green Ghost” is a good name for a Halloween cocktail. It has alliteration, it invokes eerie images, and it actually has a link to the ghostly green of the drink. It also reminds me of the first “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” book I bought as a kid. (Eventually I collected the whole series of these Hardy Boys knockoffs.)

And it also reminds me of a board game that was popular in the 1960s.

For all these reasons, I’ll give the name the full 2 points.

But that only gives it a grand total of 2 points (0+0+2=2). We have a new record for low score.