Watering Hole: West 5Barkeep: Mike HowellPick your poison: An as yet unnamed concoction of Chartreuse, Stoli Citrus, muddled lemon and a dash of simple syrup. Are you ready for something different? I explained the First Call rules to Howell who followed up with, “what’s your tolerance for odd liquors?” I liked where this was going. He brought out a bottle of Chartreuse.”Do you know what this is?” Howell asks. Nope. “It’s my favorite liquor in the whole world.” Chartreuse is West 5’s house elixir–a green, anise and herb liquor that goes back to 17th century Carthusian monks. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, the monks were founded by a guy named St. Bruno in the Chartreuse Mountains of the French Alps. It’s a firey 115 proof straight from the bottle, says Howell. But the anise makes it a smooth ride down your esophagus. “It’s like medicine,” observes my drinking buddy. “Good medicine.”With the lemon, Stoli and simple syrup, it’s actually a little too sweet. More get drunk at Kappa Kappa Nu than relax after work. When we mention our thoughts to Howell, he admits that he prefers it straight himself. Now that he has a couple of converts, Howell is ready to lay another of his favorite way-off-the-beaten-path liquors on us. While we’re sipping, he comes back with another bottle. “Have you heard of Fernet-Branca?” he asks. Again, nope. He pours a splash in a tumbler and we give it a sip. Like the Chartreuse, this Italian digestif has a whole mess of herbs guiding the taste. But unlike its green counterpart, the ambor liquor leaves a distinct taste of something like Eucalyptus and menthol on the tongue. We’re not as sprung on this one, but by now I’m just glad to have someone pouring me drinks that gets really excited about the history and makeup of the liquid in my glass. If you’re tired of the same old vodka tonic, Howell at West 5 is ready to help you get out of that rut.