For Chartreuse, it's easy being green-and tasty, too

The monks of the religious order of Chartreuse, who have been distilling a fine green liqueur of the same name for a few centuries, might be horrified by the glass in front of me. It contains their beloved spirit, but untraditionally it shares the space with a goji-berry infused white spirit from Ningxia Hui autonomous region, a big splash of a splendid calvados, and some bitters to counter the sweetness of the other additions.

"Chartreuse has no real history in China," says the French company's CEO, Emmanuel Delafon, who recently visited Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. "But both have a long history, and we think Chinese drinkers will appreciate our quality and tradition."

Delafon hosted master classes for bartenders on the spirit's use, including an event at Caravan, where owner Badr Benjelloun crafted the Chartreuse-goji drink, and also combined the French spirit with oolong tea from Taiwan.