Liqueurs

Yellow Chartreuse

Yellow Chartreuse is the Carthusians' second liqueur, 43% where green is 55%, sweetened with sugar and made from the same 130 plants, by its maker’s site. Chartreuse dates it to 1840, from a softer, pale yellow blend of 1838; it is gentler and sweeter than green, and the two do not swap. In the Alaska, the Yellow Jacket and the Naked and Famous it sweetens the drink as well as flavouring it.

Quick Facts

ABV43% ABV

Legal categoryLiqueur

OriginFrance

Flavour Strengthmedium bold

SeasonYear-round

Our keeping timeYears unopened. Once opened, a year or more kept sealed and out of the light; the fruit and aromatics fade first.

Storage

Store upright in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after use to preserve aromatics.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens. Recipes change: check the bottle.

The ingredient

About Yellow Chartreuse

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

HerbalFloralSoft sweetnessLight spice

Tasting Notes

Soft herbal aroma with floral notes, gentle sweetness, and warming spice. Rounded and mellow compared to Green Chartreuse, with a smooth, lingering finish.

The second Chartreuse, softer and sweeter

The Carthusians make green and yellow Chartreuse side by side. Green, named in 1840, is the stronger at 55%. Chartreuse’s own history traces yellow to a softer, pale yellow blend of 1838 and dates Yellow Chartreuse to 1840; its maker lists it at 43%, made from alcohol, sugar, water and 130 plants. Both are made by the Carthusian fathers, and the formula is secret and known only to a handful of monks, the Oxford Companion says.

It is lower in strength and higher in sweetness than green

Yellow is not green turned down. The extra sweetness and lower strength change how it behaves, and a drink written for one comes out of balance with the other. Green Chartreuse is the one to reach for when a drink needs edge.

Yellow and green Chartreuse side by side (strengths, sweetening and dates from the maker’s site; uses and measures are ours)

Strength

Yellow Chartreuse: 43%
Green Chartreuse: 55%

Sweetened with

Yellow Chartreuse: Sugar
Green Chartreuse: Sugar

Introduced

Yellow Chartreuse: 1840, from a blend of 1838
Green Chartreuse: Named 1840

In a drink

Yellow Chartreuse: Sweetens and binds; supports the spirit
Green Chartreuse: Leads; adds heat and sharp herbs

Typical measure in our recipes

Yellow Chartreuse: 22.5 to 25ml
Green Chartreuse: 15 to 22.5ml, or 45ml as a base

	Yellow Chartreuse	Green Chartreuse
Strength	43%	55%
Sweetened with	Sugar	Sugar
Introduced	1840, from a blend of 1838	Named 1840
In a drink	Sweetens and binds; supports the spirit	Leads; adds heat and sharp herbs
Typical measure in our recipes	22.5 to 25ml	15 to 22.5ml, or 45ml as a base

It sweetens the drinks it is in

The Alaska is 50ml of gin, 25ml of yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters, stirred: the Chartreuse is its only sweetener. The Naked and Famous sets it level with mezcal, Aperol and lime. In the Diamondback it softens rye and calvados, and in the Yellow Jacket it gives the drink its colour.

The Widow's Kiss pairs it with Bénédictine, two sweet herbal liqueurs over calvados, with the yellow joining the two halves of the drink.

It is scarce for the same reason as green

Drinks International reports a letter of January 2023 in which the monks said they had decided in 2021 not to increase production; US sales had doubled from 2020 to 2023, according to Chartreuse Diffusion, and the liqueur has been short since. In our experience, kept dark, an opened bottle holds up for years.

Using it

Using Yellow Chartreuse

Usage

22.5ml in four of our five recipes, the Yellow Jacket, the Naked and Famous, the Diamondback and the Widow's Kiss, and 25ml in the Alaska. At those measures it is often the drink's only sweetener, as in the Diamondback, so there is no syrup to adjust.

Pro Tip

Stir an Alaska for the full 30 seconds the recipe gives. With 25ml of a 43% liqueur against 50ml of gin, the drink needs that dilution to read as a cocktail rather than a sweet neat pour.

Top Tips

Do not replace it with green at the same measure. The Alaska and the Naked and Famous turn hot and sharp with green.
It can take a bigger pour than green. At 22.5ml it carries a drink where green at that measure would take it over.
Equal parts suit it. The Naked and Famous is four measures of 22.5ml, and the yellow holds the mezcal and Aperol together.
Light and heat dull it; in our experience an open bottle lasts years in a dark cupboard, though its aroma softens.

Possible Substitutions

Bénédictine: Sweeter and less herbal

Production Method

Made by the Carthusian fathers from alcohol, sugar, water and 130 plants, bark, roots, spices and flowers, by its maker’s site. The Oxford Companion says the formula is secret and known only to a handful of monks.

History & Context

Chartreuse’s own history traces the yellow liqueur to a softer, pale yellow blend made in 1838 and dates Yellow Chartreuse to 1840, the year green Chartreuse was named. Both are made by the Carthusian fathers, and Drinks International reports a letter of January 2023 telling trade partners that the monks had decided in 2021 not to increase their production, to protect their monastic life.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is yellow Chartreuse?

The Carthusians' herbal liqueur, 43% ABV on its maker’s site, the softer partner to green Chartreuse. Its maker lists alcohol, sugar, water and 130 plants, and Chartreuse dates it to 1840. In drinks it is used at 22.5 to 25ml, often as the only sweetener, with gin, mezcal, tequila or calvados.

How is yellow Chartreuse different from green?

Yellow is 43% ABV and green 55%, drier and fiercer, on the maker’s site, which lists sugar and 130 plants in both. The monks behind them are the same. Yellow suits gentler spirits and supports a drink; green leads whatever it is in. A recipe written for one will not balance with the other.

Can I use green Chartreuse instead of yellow?

Not at the same measure. Green adds more alcohol and less sweetness, so an Alaska made with it is hotter and sharper. If you must, use about two thirds of the measure and add a little honey syrup to restore the sweetness, and accept that the drink will be closer to a different cocktail.

How strong is yellow Chartreuse?

43% ABV, which is what our recipes count. That is stronger than most gins, so a 25ml pour in an Alaska carries the alcohol of a standard measure of spirit. The sugar hides some of it, so a two-ingredient stirred drink with it is stronger than it tastes.

What does yellow Chartreuse taste like?

Sweet and herbal, with a softer, rounder sweetness than green and less of its peppery heat. Saffron is the note it is most often described by. In a drink it reads as sweetness with herbs behind it, and so it can replace a syrup in a sour.

What drinks use yellow Chartreuse?

In our recipes, the Alaska with gin, the Naked and Famous with mezcal and Aperol, the Yellow Jacket, the Diamondback with rye and calvados, and the Widow's Kiss with calvados and Bénédictine. In each it is 22.5 or 25ml, the drink's herbs and much of its sweetness.

Sources.

Checked between 16 October and 19 October 2026.

Chartreuse, “Yellow Chartreuse” (producer’s product page (created in 1840; alcohol, sugar, water, 130 plants; 43% vol.)).
Chartreuse, “Green Chartreuse” (producer’s product page (55% vol.; sugar)).
Chartreuse, “Story” (producer’s history (1838 pale yellow blend; Yellow Chartreuse 1840; Green Chartreuse named 1840)).
Drinks International (Oli Dodd), “Chartreuse devotees find alternatives” (trade press: the January 2023 letter (decision of 2021 not to increase production); 1.2 million litres a year; US sales doubled from 2020 to 2023).
The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, “Chartreuse” (secondary source: 130 botanicals; a secret formula known only to a handful of monks; yellow first sold after green, 43° against 55°).

Make something

Made with Yellow Chartreuse

Featured In These Cocktails

Yellow Jacket Alaska Naked and Famous Widow’s Kiss Diamondback

Often Used With

Updated 19 October 2026

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