CHARTREUSE

This high-proof vegetal liqueur is made by Carthusian monks in Isère, on the edge of the Chartreuse mountain range. In 1605, a French marshal gave the monks a mysterious manuscript with the recipe for a medicinal preparation. Highly complex, the formula for this ‘elixir of life’ was not produced until the middle of the 18th century. Traditionally green, Chartreuse can also be yellow or white. Only two monks know the secret ingredients of this liqueur and continue to oversee its production. Production of this liqueur has supported the monastic community for over 250 years, enabling it to uphold its vow of poverty.