Chartreuse Vegetal de La Grande (Chartreuse Elixir Vegetal)
About Chartreuse Vegetal de La Grande (Chartreuse Élixir Végétal)
With extremely limited available supply of Yellow and Green Chartreuse (which appears to be the new status quo, unfortunately!) we’re happy to share that we have been able to source some bottles of this unique expression of Chartreuse: Élixir Végétal de la Grande Chartreuse, as it’s called in France.
This smaller format (100ml) expression of Chartreuse comes in at a much higher proof (69% ABV vs. 55% for Chartreuse Green and 40% for Chartreuse Yellow), because it is intended to be used as a cordial, tonic, or digestif, sipped in small amounts, slowly, following a meal.
Though it’s only recently available in the US, this Chartreuse has been made from the same recipe since 1764 and is often used as a type of herbal treatment in France.
The story goes that in 1605, the Duke of Estrees gave the Carthusian monks a recipe made up of 130 plants that would together create an “elixir of long life.” For the next 150 years, the monks perfected the recipe, and Élixir Végétal de la Grande Chartreuse is the result.
The bottle comes in a small wooden box to protect the spirit inside from light and ensure its perfect conservation.
Suggested Serves
This little package packs an intensely herbal and medicinal punch. Add a small amount to tea, sip very slowly following a meal, or use (in scant quantities) in all your favorite classic cocktails featuring Chartreuse.
Production Notes
There are three stages of production that take place over several weeks. First the distillation to obtain the aroma, then maceration which gives the natural color, and finally extraction which makes it possible to retain the beneficial properties of the 130 plants, flowers, bark, roots and spices that are found in the spirit. Its potent flavor comes primarily from the use of plants in their natural state.
100ml & 138 Proof
