Color Chronicles: Chartreuse, a Dangerously Sweet History

Colors mean differently for all walks of life. The color chartreuse is a vivid yellow-green, one that resembles lime and green apples, or the nuclear substance in the disaster movies. Such color is like a poisonous tango between sweetness and danger, isn’t it?

The color’s name came from a 1764 French liqueur, named the green chartreuse. In contrast to the chartreuse we know today, the original was a yellow mixed with a dose of green.

Much of the symbolism of chartreuse can be attributed to the palate. The drink has a very unique and distinguished taste — sweet, yet spicy and pungent. Like a magic potion, isn’t it? The liqueur is used as a kicker in cocktails and mixed drinks. In small doses, as it is very strong.

Speaking of potions, the liqueur has been associated with an alchemical drink, the elixir of life. Even the monastery used chartreuse as medicine, In creating such potion, some Frenchmen at the Grande Chartreuse in Voiron had multiple attempts to have the perfect recipe. It is said that the formula contains 130 herbs plants, flowers and others with a wine as the base. No wonder chartreuse is very much filled with chlorophyll!

Very veggie-based chartreuse is. The book “The Practical Hotel Steward” has said that green chartreuse contains cinnamon, mace, lemon balm, dried hyss. Now obviously, recreating the color in photography with such ingredients is silly but there are ways. You can try doing E6 process for the strong green, just make sure to photograph under a sunny, and leafy environment with open skies. For constant chartreuse though, you may want to mix up your green and yellow color gels!

2018-02-02 #culture #chartreuse #color-chronicles