Chartreuse Diffusion

A historic liqueur that has been made for centuries by the Carthusian Monks at Voiron in France. The recipes for the liqueurs are said to date back to the time of Henry IV when a manuscript believed to be the work of a 16th century alchemist was discovered. It was not until 1764 that the manuscript was successfully transcribed and Frère Jerome Maubec was able to perfect the processes for what became known as Chartreuse. At the time it was claimed that the liqueur was an 'Elixir of Long Life'. Later in 1840 a second easier to drink version was formulated and called 'Yellow Chartreuse', this proved to be extremely popular in the taverns, bars and restaurants of the time and continues to be successful today. It is said that the recipe for Chartreuse is more closely guarded than that of coca-cola and only two monks are ever aware of the full recipe and process required to make it.