August Madness: The Doheny Hosts a Sweet Sixteen Chartreuse Competition

Green Chartreuse shots for breakfast kick off a Monday right nice, especially when they're being served to you on the patio at The Doheny. Starting at the ungodly hour of noon, sixteen men and women representing the city's top drinking establishments--The Varnish, The Doheny, SLS, Rivera, Copa d'Oro, The Library Bar at The Roosevelt Hotel and The Roger Room--went head to head.

The rules: Each bartender had five minutes to create a cocktail using at least 1/4 oz. green or yellow chartreuse and anything else they found behind the bar, which, in addition to the usual fare, was stocked with a farmer's market basket of raspberries, Concord grapes and rosemary.

Chartreuse 1605

Chartreuse Sweet 16

The judges were Joe Keeper of Bar Keeper in Silverlake, Betty Hallock of the L.A. Times, and Carolynn Spence, Executive Chef at the Chateau and Bar Marmont. The Final Four Contestants were Chris Bostick and Matty Eggleston of The Varnish, Gus McShane of Copa d'Oro, and Matthew Biancaniello of The Library Bar at The Roosevelt Hotel.

Chartreuse, aka, "Elixir of Long Life," is an herbal liqueur made by three Carthusian monks living in the French Alps - each of which only knows his part of the formula. Chartreuse Diffusion, an importing company explains that "The Carthusian Monks reclusion is neither a retreat not a resignation, but on the contrary, a gift of themselves, an act of charity towards Mankind."

Amen to that.

Deborah Stoll

Contestants Number 8 & 1

Deborah Stoll

Contestants Number 13 & 15