Chartreuse

Chartreuse isn't a liqueur. It's a myth—green, mysterious, herbaceous like a prayer, and stronger than you might think. For over 400 years, Carthusian monks have been distilling this elixir—and to this day, no one knows exactly how.

The story begins in 1605 in Paris, when the monks came across an alchemical manuscript. After decades of experimentation, they created an elixir from 130 herbs, roots, and spices—initially as medicine, later as a beverage. Since 1935, Chartreuse has been produced near Grenoble—today in the state-of-the-art Aiguenoire plant, strictly separated from the monastery. Only two monks know the exact recipe. No outsider is ever allowed to participate in the blending process.

There are green, yellow, VEP, and Elixir varieties. What they all have in common: a deep herbal spiciness, impressive length, and a characteristic bitter note. Chartreuse is part of bar culture, haute cuisine, and spiritual world history—from Hemingway to Dalí.

Legendary sommelier Michel Tolmer wrote: “Chartreuse is not a digestif. It is an experience.”

Chartreuse is the antithesis of trendy—and precisely for that reason, it endures forever.