Booze.
Trippy:
Yes. Demand shot up during the pandemic but production has not increased.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/dining/drinks/chartreuse-shortage.html
Quote
In 2020, as the pandemic turned many people into at-home mixologists, sales of Chartreuse in the United States doubled, a pattern that held true worldwide, according to Chartreuse Diffusion. Global sales topped $30 million in 2022.
This rise in popularity directly conflicted with a collective decision that the monks quietly made in 2019 to cap production of their ingredient-intensive spirit in order to limit the environmental impact and to focus on their “primary goal” of solitude and prayer, as explained in a letter released in January.
“There’s only so much Chartreuse you can make without ruining the balance of monastic life,” said the Rev. Michael K. Holleran, a former monk who oversaw Chartreuse production from 1986 to 1990.
Production is currently set at 1.6 million bottles per year — the highest level since the late 1800s, when the Vatican pointedly reminded the Carthusians that they were monks, not businessmen. But the United States is limited to 90 percent of its 2021 volume. Retailers and hospitality professionals say they are feeling the pinch.
Mandella:
I grabbed a couple of bottles just as the shortage hit, but I've also found that something called Genepy makes a reasonable substitute when I don't want to pour the best stuff...
Samwise:
Just look at it as a chance to branch out IMO. We've been on an Aviation kick lately (the cocktail, not the gin brand) so if violets go extinct ten years from now we'll have already drunk our fill and can move on to the next brightly colored botanical liqueur.
Edit to add: I'm not usually a purist about freshly juicing citrus for cocktails, but for an Aviation I've found it makes a big difference using fresh lemon (Meyer especially works really nice IMO) vs bottled. The creme de violette really needs the brightness of the lemon to balance it out so it's not JUST shoving a bouquet into your mouth.
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