The Monk’s Muse – Egg White Cocktail

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Last Updated on June 8, 2023 by Leah Hall

Another favorite combination of gin and chartreuse in this egg white cocktail!

 

We recently rediscovered our bottle of Chartreuse after having a drink on a recent date night that prominently featured it. After having just one sip, the bottle we had somehow misplaced into the back of our liquor cabinet popped into our head after tasting the very distinctive flavor and we have been a little obsessed with making egg white cocktails that feature Chartreuse again!

 

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Gin and Chartreuse

Our obsession lead to us coming up with today’s egg white cocktail, The Monk’s Muse.

Who Makes Green Chartreuse?

Chartreuse is one of those very unique liquors that hasn’t really changed since its original recipe was created way back in 1737. Distilled by Carthusian Monks from a handwritten manuscript from that gives a list of 130 herbs, plants and botanicals. Named for the Monk’s Grand Chartreuse monastery in France, the recipe is a closely guarded secret that only two monks at time know.

Jigger / Wooden Spoon / Shaker

The two monks carefully dry and blend the herbs into a mix that is then macerated in alcohol to extract the flavors. The macerated mix is then transferred to stills where the alcohols and plant oils are carefully extracted into a rich herbal liqueur. Chartreuse has a very distinctive green color, which comes from a final exposure to an herb blend before getting put into oak barrels to age.

What Ingredients are Needed for the Monk’s Muse Cocktail?

• Egg White
• Chamomile Bitters
• Honey Simple Syrup
• Pear Nectar
• Vermouth Blanc
• Chartreuse
• Gin

 

All this work results in a sweet, richly aromatic and boldly herbal liqueur. It lends itself to sipping straight or mixing into cocktails to add a real layer of complexity. Chartreuse works really well with gin as both spirits have an herbal component. But likewise the Chartreuse has a sweet spiciness to it, gins bring a bright citrus quality. With the two spirits making a great foundation, we next built upon that combination. We layered in some components to add some balance to the drink.

Fine Mesh Strainer / Hawthorne Strainer / Bitters

We decided to stick with spirits from France, choosing to use La Quintinye Vermouth Royal Blanc. It’s a French vermouth made by blending fine white wines and Pineau des Charentes (a French aperitif fortified wine) from the Cognac region of France. The vermouth has a beautiful aromatic perfume and hints of grapefruit, herbs and hay and a woody note. This gives a warm sweetness that pairs up with the gin and the aged oaky notes of the Chartreuse.

For our sour component, we go with gin’s classic partner in crime, lemon. The lemon adds a refreshing sourness to the drink and bringing out the citrus notes in the gin. Of course once you add a little sour, you need some sweet, so what better way to celebrate all the wonderful plants used in the Chartreuse then to use honey. Honey of course is made from the nectar from all those plants! The honey adds a nice sweetness and warmth and a nice aromatic floral scent.

What French Flavors to Use?

We used lots of French influences to make the Monk’s Muse, and with that in mind, we decided that any good French dish (or drink in this case) has to have an elegant richness to it. To add that richness, we turned to pear nectar and egg white. The homemade pear nectar adds a smooth fruitiness and body to the cocktail. The egg white is a classic way to add a richness to an egg white cocktail when shaken in. Plus it adds a rich foam and creamy texture that smooths out the rough edges of the spirits.

If You Are Looking for More Egg White Cocktails, Try These!

• Rhubarb Sour
• T & T Sour
• Pisco Sour
• Holiday Ginger Flip
• Root Beer Whiskey Flip
• Aronia Sour
• Blood Orange Gin Sour
• Clover Club
• Raspberry Peach Ramos Gin Fizz
• Whiskey Flip
• Bourbon Peach Sour
• Grapefruit Bourbon Sour
• Gin Fizz
• Winter Rye Sour
• Blackberry Lavender Gin Sour
• Cherry Vanilla Whiskey Sour

 

Elegant and refined, a delicious combination of herbs, fruit and citrus, the Monk’s Muse deserves a spot on your table!

 

How else can you drink Green Chartreuse?

Well, Queen Elizabeth apparently drinks it with bubbly and a splash of maraschino liqueur. So be like the Queen!

 

Cheers!

 

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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!

The Champs Elysees Cocktail

 

The Last Word Cocktail

Other Chartreuse Cocktails

• Verdant Lady – Bojon Gourmet
• Cucumber, Gin and Chartreuse Cocktail – Sevengrams

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