James Davis / Cocktails / Chartreuse Mule

Chartreuse Mule

Green Chartreuse, lime, and ginger beer built over ice—a highball from the Paris-Vauvert house menu.

The Chartreuse Mule is the bar at Paris-Vauvert's answer to a simple question: what replaces vodka in a Moscow Mule when your house spirit is Green Chartreuse? The result is substantially more interesting than the original. Vodka brings nothing but dilution and carry; Chartreuse brings 110 botanicals, a honey-saffron sweetness, and 55% ABV. The ginger beer's spice and carbonation find natural allies in Chartreuse's herbal edge and the lime's acidity.

This is a built drink, not a shaken one. Build it over ice in a copper mug or highball glass, add the lime juice, pour the Chartreuse, top with ginger beer, and finish with a spray of élixir végétal if you have it. The spray is not decorative—the 69% tincture opens the herbal aromatics immediately on the nose, making the first sip arrive already primed.

A well-made ginger beer matters here. Use one with real ginger heat—Fever-Tree Ginger Beer or a house-brewed version. Ginger ale will flatten the drink. The lime wheel garnish is functional: a light squeeze as you drink adjusts the acidity sip by sip.

Single Serve

Build over ice. ~12cl total. Copper mug or highball glass. Lime wheel garnish.

1 oz
Green Chartreuse
55% ABV — herbal-honey base spirit
¾ oz
Fresh lime juice
squeezed to order — citrus backbone
~4 oz
Ginger beer
Fever-Tree or similar — real ginger heat required
spray
Chartreuse élixir végétal
69% herbal tincture — atomizer across the surface
Fill a copper mug or highball glass with ice cubes.
Add fresh lime juice.
Pour Green Chartreuse over the ice.
Top slowly with ginger beer, pouring down the side to preserve carbonation.
Spray élixir végétal across the surface if using.
Garnish with a lime wheel on the rim. Serve immediately.

Notes

The copper mug is traditional (Moscow Mule heritage) but a standard highball glass works equally well. Cold everything: cold glass, cold ginger beer, ice-packed glass. The drink warms fast. Ginger beer strength varies significantly by brand — taste yours first and adjust the pour accordingly.

← Back to Cocktails