Drink What Our Grandparents Drank: seeking FLAMING CHARTREUSE PUNCH recipe

A few weeks ago on the occasion of a relative's 60th birthday, the family got together and planned a surprise party, with some various memorabilia and things brought out for the occasion. I was most intrigued by this newspaper clipping of my grandparents enjoying something called "Flaming Chartreuse Punch." They lived outside Scranton, PA, and Camelback is a ski mountain in the Poconos.

They had some kick-ass parties before I was around; my Grandfather was traditionally attired in a diaper as the baby new year every December 31, while his best friend was usually done up as Father Time. The photos are hilarious!

Just tonight as I was getting ready to post this to TC and ask if anyone had a recipe for such an intriguing drink, a revelation came to me. Some years ago, before she passed away, my Grandmother told me a story about my Grandfather skipping work mid-week one day to have a fun day in the Poconos. Much to his chagrin, though, his picture was taken by a news photographer at this event, and his photo appeared in the paper the very next day! Try explaining that to the boss after you call in sick!

Am pretty sure he did get in trouble at work. While telling me the story one day about 16 years after he'd passed on, my Grandmother handed down to me a number of shot glasses they'd gotten on that outing. They say "CHARTREUSE 1968 WINTER OLYMPICS Grenoble, France," so that at least helps place a year on the photo (there's no info on the clipping about where/when). The glasses are perhaps 2 inches tall, with a little handle on 'em. See here:

They're the same glasses my Grandmother is using in the newspaper photo that was dug out this year! It just goes to show that an interest in flaming liquor drinks appears to run in my family. Now... anyone got a recipe for Flaming Chartreuse Punch??? A Google search turns up nada.

Cheers,
Rupe

[EDITED slightly to change subject header]

"Hello citrus, hello liquor -
I love it when you touch each other"
--the Hold Steady, 'Citrus'

[ Edited by: rupe33 2007-03-26 04:50 ]

All I know is that I had Chartreuse once before...

and I'll just say it is an acquired taste!!! :(

No clue if Chartreuse, in this case, refers to this location of the Olympics (?) or to the liqueur. And yes, Chartreuse is not for everyone... But if you want a gentler introduction, either try the sweeter yellow Chartreuser, or dilute the green with a small amount of sugar water, which both sweetens it and brings out more complex flavors.

I'll have to light a measure of mine sometime and see how the flavor changes.

I actually quite like the stuff and go through phases where i drink it a lot.
A bartender once made it for me by sprinkling sugar over a lime wedge,a bit of Chartruese over it and then light it.Let the sugar caramalize and then squeeze and drop the lime into a glass of Chartruese with ice.Makes a world of difference.
It goes very well with lime.

found this post while searching for possible cocktails for my old bottle of chartreuse.

what a great photo-- cant quite tell what the young ladies are doing- are they lighting your grandparents' drinks on fire, or filling their glasses?

i too googled this and found nothing on poconos or european ski lodge flaming punch traditions.

but, did find quite a few drinking websites that list a flaming drink under various names that is equal parts chartreuse, sambuca, and curacao. (i am out of curacao or i would give it a try myself).

waddaya know, i found a bottle of curacao with a few ounces left.

I poured 1 oz each of green chartreuse, roman sambuca, and orange curacao into a 4 oz mixing glass, lit on fire, let the blue flames work for about 20 seconds or so, then poured into a tall skinny glass (then blew it out in the new glass). tasted very aromatic, like a rich man's jagermeister. I can totally see how this would warm somebody up at a ski chalet. it tasted a bit better as an every day drink though when i added some seltzer water.

anyhow, you oughta give this a go Rupe, whether its the accurate drink or not who's to say? I inherited my grandfather's pewter mug that commemorates his 60th birthday, no idea if he ever used it at all, but i like to make mint juleps in it for kentucky derby day, so enjoy your shot glasses, they're pretty cool.

12 years later... an answer to the recipe for 'Flaming Chartreuse Punch'!

We had the name incorrect - it was CHARTREUSE ALPINE PUNCH served to my grandparents back in 1968.

With great thanks to be provided to:
Cameron Winkelman of The Polynesian (NYC)
David Wondrich
Tim Masters of Chartreuse

Cameron got this story out to David and Tim, who - through their research - have provided a recipe for Flaming Chartreuse Punch, along with additional information about other events that same year. Folks: the big lesson here is to never stop telling your story, and talk to your bartenders about the things you're curious about that they (or their colleagues) might know about. Cameron messaged me while I was at Hidden Harbor celebrating a birthday this weekend, and this will be a present that neither I nor my family will forget.

So we now have additional confirmation of the Chartreuse event at Camelback Mountain in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, in which a recipe is revealed at the tail end of the clip:

The beverage being served was known as Chartreuse Alpine Punch, and the recipe per the image is:
-one part yellow Chartreuse
-one dash green Chartreuse
-one part light rum (White)
-dash of Cinnamon
(note: this appears to perhaps have not been a flaming drink at all...but if further developments prove otherwise, I'll update this post)

Additional info reveals the 'flaming' punch had consequences for a resort in Vermont! Perhaps it was scaled back in the wake of said incident.

I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this thread, and again - David, Tim, and Cameron for their tenacity in getting to the heart of this family mystery. I can't wait to try this cocktail!

Great ending to a great old story! :lol:

That is amazing! Congrats on finding the recipe!!

This drink sounds crazy strong but I'm totally going to make it. I only have VEP right now so I'll make the $100 version and report back :)

Chartreuse is my favorite and I love seeing new recipes. Very slim book selections out there for recipes, but many new bartenders today are using it well. I kinda want to make a book of recipes myself. Stories like this just further inspire me to do it.

On 2019-09-04 14:47, lunavideogames wrote:
That is amazing! Congrats on finding the recipe!!

This drink sounds crazy strong but I'm totally going to make it. I only have VEP right now so I'll make the $100 version and report back :)

Chartreuse is my favorite and I love seeing new recipes. Very slim book selections out there for recipes, but many new bartenders today are using it well. I kinda want to make a book of recipes myself. Stories like this just further inspire me to do it.

Are you a big Alaska drinker? My favorite use for the yellow.