Chartreuse

Facts and Information about the Chartreuse Liqueur
The alcoholic drink Chartreuse is an aromatic green or yellow liqueur flavored with Alpine herbs, orange peel, hyssop and peppermint which is made at the Grande Chartreuse, a Carthusian monastery near Grenoble, France. Liqueurs are sweet alcoholic drinks which are flavoured with a variety of different ingredients and come in a variety of different colors. The word 'liqueur' derives from the Latin word 'liquifacere' which means to melt or dissolve - the flavorings used to make liqueurs are dissolved.

List of Recipes which contain green and yellow Chartreuse
Click any of the following links on the list for recipes which contain these famous green and yellow liqueurs:

Information about Chartreuse
Liqueurs are flavored with a whole variety of different ingredients! These ingredients include fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, nuts, roots, plants, barks, eggs and cream. The following list details the main ingredients of Chartreuse together with other info about this famous liqueur.

• Main ingredients of Chartreuse - A base alcohol blended with 130 Alpine herbs, orange peel, hyssop and peppermint
• Country of origin - France
• Chartreuse colors - Green and Yellow
• The word 'chartreuse' is derived from the French 'chartreuse' from the Latin 'cartusia' of which the English "charterhouse" is a corruption

Green Chartreuse
Green Chartreuse is the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green colour which is produced by the inclusion of 130 plants in the recipe. The recipe for green chartreuse is a closely guarded secret that is known by only 3 monks at any time. Only these Carthusian monks know the exact quantities and sorts of plants and flowers that are to be used to create green chartreuse. The Alcohol content in green Chartreuse is 55% (110° proof US). 

Yellow Chartreuse
Yellow Chartreuse is also completely natural with no artificial flavours or preservatives. Yellow Chartreuse was introduced in 1838 and is milder and sweeter than green Chartreuse. The recipe for yellow Chartreuse is also a closely guarded secret, known by only 3 monks at any time. Only these Carthusian monks know the exact quantities and sorts of plants and flowers that are to be used to create yellow chartreuse. The alcohol content of yellow Chartreuse is 40% alcohol (80° proof US).

The Grande Chartreuse
The Grande Chartreuse is the name of the of the Carthusian monastery near Grenoble, France. Chartreuse was first produced in 1605 at the Grande Chartreuse as a medicinal digestive for the Carthusian monks. The Carthusians are a Christian religious order founded by St Bruno in 1084 whose brethren were bound to vows of silence and renunciation of the world. The Grande Chartreuse is the head monastery of the Carthusian order.  The word 'chartreuse' is derived from the French 'chartreuse' from the Latin 'cartusia' of which the English "charterhouse" is a corruption. From this "Carthusian" is derived and given as the name of the order monks who originally made the liqueur from mountain herbs. The Grande Chartreuse closely guards the recipe for their famous liqueur. The secret recipes for the green and yellow chartreuse drinks are believed to contain 130 Alpine herbs and are only known to three Carthusian monks at any one given time.

History and additional background information about Chartreuse
Additional background information about Chartreuse:

• The word chartreuse is a derivative of the word "Carthusian" and the "Grande Chartreuse" which is the name of  is the head monastery, or mother-house, of the Carthusian order of monks who originally made the liqueur from Alpine mountain herbs
• The basic recipe for chartreuse was passed to the monks of the Grande Chartreuse from an 'elixir of long life' recipe from the marshal of artillery for King Henri IV to which the Carthusian monks added local alpine herbs
• Chartreuse was originally intended to be taken as a medicine but the taste was so good it was soon used as a drink
• The original recipe used by the monks at the Grande Chartreuse was changed when the order was exiled to Spain and they could not find the exact herbs required
• The first monastery called the Grande Chartreuse was built by St. Bruno in 1084 on the spot marked by the chapel of Notre-Dame de Casalibus was destroyed by an avalanche in 1132
• The Grande Chartreuse monastery was burnt a total of eight times between 1320 and 1676

The Chartreuse Color
Chartreuse is the name given to a color. The color chartreuse is a shade of green with a slight yellow tint. It is very similar to the color lime. It was named after the Chartreuse brand of liqueur. The chartreuse color coordinates are the Hex triplet #7FFF00.
 

Example of the lime green chartreuse color

How to serve the Chartreuse Liqueur
Liqueurs are made in nearly every country of the world and come in a variety of different flavors and colors. This makes every liqueur drink, such as Chartreuse, an extremely versatile drink. Liqueurs can be served:

• Straight up - Perfect as after dinner drinks and usually served at room temperature
• On the rocks - If a cold drink is preferred liqueurs can be chilled and served over ice cubes or mixed with crushed ice
• Served with coffee
• Liqueurs can be mixed with cream or other mixers to create some really good and extremely colorful cocktails

Rainbow Liqueur Drinks - Floating Liqueurs
Ever wondered how bartenders create those unusual rainbow effects when making cocktails? They use a method called 'Floating liqueurs' which is achieved by 'floating' a measure of liqueur in a glass by pouring it slowly over an inverted spoon or down a glass rod on top of previous layers. This creates a rainbow effect in a glass when using different colored liqueurs or cordials. Liqueurs are sometimes referred to as Cordials, which causes some confusion. In America a cordial mean a sweet, syrup like alcoholic beverage. However, in the UK a cordial means a non-alcoholic, sweet, syrupy drink!

Quantities and Proportions of ingredients in Chartreuse cocktail drinks
Quantities of ingredients tend to cause confusion - no problem, just use the correct proportions of each ingredient to create the best authentic & original Chartreuse cocktail recipe! You can use a thimble, cup or even a pitcher ( if you are making this recipe for a group or a crowd ) when you make a cocktail! The following simple guidelines will also help with the different quantities referred to in other cocktail recipes:

• 1 oz (ounce) equals 2 tbsp (tablespoons) or 3 cl (centilitres)
• 30ml equals 1 oz
• 1 shot equals 3 tbsp (tablespoons) or 1½ oz (ounces) or 45 ml (millilitres)
• 1 cup equals 8 oz (ounces) or 24 cl (centilitres) or 240 ml (millilitres)