Chartreuse - cheers!

I was interested to learn that the color is called chartreuse because it is the same color as a liqueur called Chartreuse.

Isn't that beautiful? It is made in the French Alps by monks from a secret mixture of herbs. I have never tasted chartreuse, but I'd like to. I wondered if chartreuse was the same thing as absinthe, which is another liqueur of the same color, also made from herbs and quite famous in art history.

I googled around and learned that they are not the same thing, but I kept seeing them referred to as "cousins" so I am assuming there are similarities beyond the color. Absinthe has a very scandalous reputation. It contains small amounts of a hallucinogenic drug, derived from wormwood, as well as alcohol and gained the reputation of being very addictive and the ruination of many a good soul. Some sources say that Chartreus contains the same drug, but modern testing has shown that the amount of the hallucinogenic, in both liqueurs,  is so minimal as to be totally ineffective. Absinthe was actually banned in many countries, including the US, for many years, but has recently been absolved of its ruinous reputation and is now available in the US again.

I am a huge fan of Degas and have always loved his painting, "The Absinthe Drinker."

 

Is that not a testament to the evils of absinthe? What a face. A lost soul. But, just look at that lovely glass of absinthe. Beautiful chartreuse color. I was even more interested to discover, when I Googled the painting, that there are several other paintings by the same name, including a really great one by Picasso.

So, here's to Chartreuse. Bottoms up!