Contents
Description
The Chartreuse is an alcoholic drink with strength from 42 to 72 vol. In production, they use medicinal herbs, roots, and nuts. Belongs to the class of liqueurs.
Chartreuse is an elite French liqueur from 130 herbs, spices, seeds, roots, and flowers. A variety of natural ingredients create a rich palate. Spicy, sweet, pungent, and medicinal shades change with a bouquet of deep notes after 2, 3 sips, and herbal aromas play with nuances. The drink’s strength varies from 40% to 72%, and the recipe is the secret of the holy fathers of the Carthusian order.
The creation of the drink is shrouded in a veil of ancient legends, according to which the prescription drug elixir was handed over to the Carthusian monks of the order of a Marshal of France françois d Estrom in 1605 in the form of an old manuscript.
For a long time, the drink recipe was of no use. It was of the fairly high complexity of the art of cooking. However, monastic pharmacist Jérôme Maubec set a goal to implement the prescription. In 1737, he produced the elixir and started to deliver it to the residents of Grenoble and Chambery’s cities as medicines.
The drink became popular, and the monks decided in 1764 to create the green “liqueur of health” for mass sale. After the revolution in 1793, monks started to pass it from hand to hand to save the recipe. Subsequently, the manuscript fell into the hands of the pharmacist Grenoble Leotardo.
Secrets
Following the laws of the time, the Ministry of Napoleon I’s interior tested all the secret recipes of drugs. The government has acknowledged inappropriate production of elixir and a recipe returned to Leotardo. Only after his death, the recipe went back into the walls of the monastery. They restored the production. Then the monks produced the first yellow type of the Chartreuse (1838). There were several cases of persecution of monks and confiscation of property, and demolition of the plant, but in 1989 it established a permanent production of the liqueur Chartreuse.
The technology of liquor production still is a strict secret. We know only a small number of herbal ingredients: nutmeg, cinnamon, fruits of the bitter orange, cardamom, IRNA grass, celery seeds, lemon balm, St. John’s wort, and others.
Chartreuse Interesting Facts
After repeated attempts to unravel the mystery, Jerome Mobeca, the monastery’s apothecary, still managed to read the mysterious document and, according to the recipe, created a healing elixir.
Since then, the drink has been marketed as the “Elixir Vegetal de la Grande Chartreuse” (Herbal elixir Grand Chartreuse). The health liquor of the same brand has been produced as a digestif since 1764. Many troubles and threats, the verdict of the French Ministry of the Interior of Napoleon Bonaparte, expulsion from France, and the long, but temporary, justification of the monks in Spain (Tarragon) did not break the seal of the secrecy of the drink. Since 1989, Chartreuse has been produced exclusively in Voiron, France.
Three main and three special liqueur Chartreuse types
They differ in color, strength, and formulation. The main concern:
- Green Chartreuse. Exclusive type acquires its color due to its member 130 species of herbs. This beverage is best in its pure form as a digestive and as a component in cocktails. The strength of the drink is about 55.
- Yellow Chartreuse. When using the same set of ingredients as for green Chartreuse, but significantly changed the proportions, in particular saffron. As a result, the drink becomes a yellow color and is more sweet and less strong (40 vol.).
- The Grande Chartreuse. This drink is closer to an herbal balm. Its strength is about 71. People consume it in small portions (not more than 30 g) or a cocktail grog.
For a special treat:
- V. E. P. Chartreuse. A liqueur of the same technologies that the green and yellow Chartreuse but uses the longer aging time in wooden barrels. The strength of the drink is about 54. for green and around 42 – for yellow.
- Chartreuse 900 years. This is a more sweet version of green Chartreuse, which monks created in honor of the anniversary (900 years) causes of the French monastery of Grand Chartreuse.
- Chartreuse 1605. The drink, produced according to the ancient recipes with intense flavor and aroma, was created in honor of the 400th anniversary of the manuscript’s transfer with the Carthusian monks’ recipe.
Chartreuse to treat Digestives and based on preparing a large number of cocktails. Traditional is Episcopal, tonic-Chartreuse, France-Mexico, Chartreuse champagne, and others. While cooking, they use this liquor to flavor chocolate, coffee, ice cream, pastries, and some meat and fish dishes.
The use of Chartreuse
The liqueur Chartreuse is prepared based on medicinal herbs, which determine its positive effects on the body.
The therapeutic effect is possible only with moderate drinking (not more than 30 g per day).
Substance peppermint herbal in the collection of drink has a positive effect on the liver and biliary tract’s functioning, normalizing the amount of produced bile dissolve kidney stones. It also improves digestion, stabilizes the stool, and lowers the forming gases in the intestines.
St. John’s wort gives you strength during exercise, stimulates metabolic processes between the cells of the body and the digestive tract.
This plant’s essential oil has a positive effect on the course of diseases such as colitis, gastritis, diarrhea, ulcers, ear otitis, diseases of the throat and respiratory tract, anemia, hypertension, and others.
Cinnamon gives the drink anti-microbial properties that help fight colds, reduce the number of putrefactive bacteria in the intestines and increase the body’s resistance.
The essential oil of coriander is prophylactic against scurvy, possesses analgesic effect for headaches and spasmodic pain in the stomach.
The liquor can be used to disinfect wounds, cuts, bruises, and as a poultice for pain in the joints and back.
The dangers of Chartreuse and contraindications
Chartreuse is a rather strong alcoholic drink, which is not recommended for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under 18 years of age.
Also, should be careful to drink it from people who are prone to allergic reactions. It is connected with quite a diverse composition of herbs and essential oils. To test the body’s reaction to the drink, you can drink no more than 10 ml within 30 minutes to observe for General condition. If there are no Allergy symptoms, then you can safely drink.
They drink the drug in small sips with ice or pure form. It is unnecessary to have a snack on liquor, but if it is too strong for you, then put fruits and desserts on the table.
The composition of the digestif Chartreuse
Since the monopoly of the drink production has been assigned since 1970 to the monks of the Carthusian Order. The liqueur recipe is kept secret, and it is not possible to patent it. Of course, no one has yet revealed the secret of the exclusive and original potion. Still, in the “Encyclopedic Dictionary” edited by Brockhaus and Efron 1890-1907, Chartreuse is a variant.
It mentions the following ingredients:
- Orange peels – 100 g
- Musk grains – 50 g
- Orange fruit – 50 g
- Ceylon cinnamon – 30 g
- Cardamom – 30 g
- Cinchona peels – 100 g
- Butter grass – 150 g
- Celery seeds – 30 g
- Angel seeds – 125 g
- White ginger – 30 g
- Black pepper – 10 g
- Jamaican pepper – 30 g
- Fresh lemon-mint – 250 g
- Cloves – 30 g
- Butter root – 30 g
- Angel roots – 30 g
- Tonkin beans – 25 g
- Muscat color – 30 g
- Blue St. John’s wort – 125 g
- Nutmegs – 50 g
- Alpine Chernobyl – 125 g
- Undiluted wine alcohol – 30 l
- Soft spring water – 10 l
- Sugar – 40 kg
Chartreuse Cooking method
- Herbal ingredients are spread on a special copper sieve.
- The sieve is placed in a distillation flask.
- The flask with the contents is heated for 8 hours.
- After cooling, the alcohol is returned to the flask in a circle.
- Then the liquid is filtered along with 200 g of burnt magnesia.
- Then sugar and honey are added.
- Water is poured into a volume of 100 liters.
- It is also worth remembering that the original Chartreuse contains no artificial ingredients.
OUTPUT
Chartreuse is a multicomponent alcoholic drink with pronounced medicinal properties. However, it can only be beneficial if the daily intake does not exceed 30 ml. The following types of drinks are distinguished: the herbal elixir Grand Chartreuse (71%), Yellow (40%), and Green (55%). Subject to the dosage and the absence of contraindications. French liquor improves the digestive tract’s functioning, invigorates, stimulates the work of cells, increases immunity, has a pronounced antispasmodic, antibacterial effect.
The monopoly on the production of an elite French drink belongs to the Cartesian order.