Chartreuse Swizzle cocktail recipe

The list of cocktails with vague and even unknown origins is huge. Search as we might, it’s often a case of ‘someone, somewhere, mixed up a drink kind of like this… we think’. Thankfully, the Chartreuse Swizzle is the complete opposite. In fact, we know this cocktail has a proud history, landing on top of a podium right next to its creator. There are no mysteries here for a change.

Marcovaldo Dionysos first showcased the Chartreuse Swizzle in 2002. Not a small debut either – the drink won first prize in a San Francisco cocktail competition sponsored by Chartreuse. Having already taken out top spots with his cocktail creations in the previous four years running (including a coveted win), Marcovaldo was content to sit out the 2002 comp, thinking he didn’t have any great ideas (spoiler alert: he did).

After coaxing from the event organisers, Marcovaldo, who was now considered a Chartreuse expert, agreed to enter again. Intrigued by falernum and taking inspiration from its Caribbean roots, Marcovaldo went tropical. By swizzling (a very practical name) together pineapple juice, lime juice, Green Chartreuse and falernum, the Rum Swizzle was re-imagined. With a herbaceous backbone, there’s a refreshing tang from the juices and a zingy bite from the falernum. It was a natural winner.

Despite the accolade, the cocktail had a slow climb to fame. Trickling through San Francisco bars, the drink slowly built an international resumé. Boosting Chartreuse sales along the way, the cocktail proved popular enough for fans of those spicy herbal flavours but also gentle enough for newcomers. It was a well-executed move by Marcovaldo, who now can’t be forgotten.

Green Chartreuse has a unique flavour, so it’s no surprise its recipe (closely guarded by monks, in fact) is said to contain 130 plants and herbs, adding a very distinct essence to this swizzle. If you can, this is a great way to taste the liqueur in fine form. If not, a milder and sweeter (and more wallet-friendly) Yellow Chartreuse would also suit nicely.

A word on swizzling: the crushed ice in the recipe isn’t code for cubed ice – we do mean crushed. It makes the swizzle. Swizzling is a bartending technique used for chilling and dilution, just like shaking or stirring, and it's often used when crushed ice is involved. The key here is half-filling the glass with ice for the first swizzle, making sure the outside of the glass is frosty-cold before topping up and swizzling again. It’s no cocktail shake, but it's still a precise process.

Just as Marcovaldo was inspired by tropical flavours, you can be, too. Play around with passionfruit, watermelon, citrus and mint for your own award-winning cocktail. It’s an easy swizzle-in job, after all.

And if you find yourself with some leftover Green Chartreuse, try these five tasty ways to make the most of this distinctive liqueur.