Boys Town cocktail

11/2 ounces Knob Creek rye

1/4 ounce Green Chartreuse

1/2 ounce Château Montifaud Pineau des Charentes

1/2 ounce Luxardo bitter liqueur

Jalisco Nights

1 oz Camarena Reposado Tequila
5 oz hot coffee
1/2 oz Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
Whipped cream

Build ingredients in a wine glass or coffee mug. Top with whipped cream.

The Trinity Cocktail

2 oz. Green Chartreuse
1/4 medium-ripe pear
8-10 mint leaves
1 bar spoon raw sugar

In a mixing tin, muddle pear and sugar, add mint, lightly press; add Chartreuse, ice and shake.
Strain over crushed ice into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with a mint sprig. 

​Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can often find him behind the bar at Euclid Hall, or at his new bar, Williams & Graham --- and here most weeks, where he'll answer your questions.

The Mysteries Behind Chartreuse & Ilegal Mezcal

Chartreuse and Ilegal Mezcal are two spirits that I admittedly didn't know much about. I've tried Chartreuse before, but after sampling the herbaceous green potion again at the New York City Wine & Food Festival, along with taking my first sip of smooth, smoky Ilegal Mezcal, I was intrigued by the unique flavors of both brands.

There is quite a mystique surrounding these spirits (both imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons). Chartreuse is made by monks who have kept the recipe a secret for centuries, and Ilegal Mezcal was smuggled across the border by swashbucklers who risked their lives because it was just that darn delicious.

Monks? Smuggling? These are clearly not your run-of-the-mill bottles of booze and I was thirsty to know more. My friend and national brand ambassador for both Chartreuse and Ilegal Mezcal, Todd Richman (aka Chartreuse Todd), was kind enough to enlighten me about these enticing elixirs.

As Todd chronicled what makes the brands so unmistakably unique, I was blown away by the history, the stories and the passion infused into each and every bottle. I smelled and sampled the different varieties, ultimately gaining a new appreciation for the taste complexity. After discovering the mysteries behind the labels, I wanted to share my fascination with you all.

From a girl who knows a lot more about food than booze, here's my take on Chartreuse and Ilegal Mezcal:

 Chartreuse Green: Ever notice that off-green, seldom-poured bottle on the shelf behind the bartender? It’s Chartreuse Green, a strong, sweet liqueur usually drunk after a meal. Legend says it was developed in the 1600s by Carthusian monks in the French Alps. They say only three monks know the formula today, each knows only one-third of it and all three have taken vows of silence.

It’s made by infusing alcohol with more than 100 herbs, which give it its color and shifting aromas of cloves, fennel, thyme, rosemary, pine and other botanicals. Beware: It’s 110 proof, meaning 55 percent alcohol. You can drink it on the rocks, with vodka and orange juice or with rum and tequila in a cocktail called Battery Acid. It’s $60 a 750-milliliter bottle.

• Ilegal Mezcal Reposado: It is said that tequila is a form of mezcal, but mezcal is not a form of tequila. Both start with agave plants, but mezcal is made only in Oaxaca, while the center of tequila making is the Mexican state of Jalisco. Mezcal is the more primitive drink from which tequila developed. It is made mostly in small batches, while tequila is more often made in big distilleries. It’s light, smoky and earthy, with aromas of caramel and spice. It’s mostly drunk as a shooter, with or without salt and lime. The name comes from the way it used to be shipped across the border. It’s $67 a 750-milliliter bottle.