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Char-truth By Darryl Beeson |
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The sip is green with herbs. So is the color. In modern times, we have a choice of green or greenish yellow (called yellow). Brother Antoine crafted the first Green Chartreuse in 1764, potent stuff at 110 proof (55% ABV). The color and flavors were all natural to the botanical and herbal components. The powerful flavors lean toward menthol, anise and concentrated citrus. All is in balance—not too sweet, not too bitter. Just right. Cue Goldilocks, bears enter stage left.
Take a sip of this stuff. It is an elixir, curing what ails you. It redefines complexity, both by aromas and flavors within the sip. A writer such as I could never describe the profile. Yes anise, yes menthol, maybe coriander (Coriandrum sativum), or is it cardamom, a rhizomatous Indian herb (Elettaria cardamomum)? No wonder those monks were bald, as I am now pulling my hair out this very moment. Simplify your life by mixing Chartreuse as a cocktail. There is no blasphemy in this. Mix it with a splash of club soda. Blend the darker green elixir with pineapple juice—it’s called a “gator.” An Old Testament story may describe man’s first encounter with Chartreuse. The prophet Micaiah, in II Chron. xviii, 18-21, says, "I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the hosts of Heaven standing on His right hand and on His left. And The Lord said, ‘Who shall entice Ahab, King of Israel, to go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ And one spoke after this manner, and another after that manner. Then there came out a spirit [Micaiah does not tell us where it was from] before the Lord [what an impudent spirit this was], ‘This will entice him.’ And the Lord said unto them, ‘Wherewith?’ And they said, ‘This will go out and be a spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘This shalt entice him, and this shalt also prevail; go out, and do even so.’” Ahab sought rehab. Moral of this story: Drink Chartreuse and you may fall, excruciatingly, agonized before your Lord. Touted to extend life, this spirit may only extend your life by making it seem longer during the next day's hangover. But Chartreuse tastes so good. Sip slowly. |
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Being
monks amongst men, they contemplated some more. A hundred and thirty
years later, they mobilize. Monks will be monks. Thus they begat the
creation of the famous Elixir Végétal, known today as Chartreuse
liqueur, referred to in some circles as "herbals gown wild." But
this is Chartreuse, not charmeuse, another story.
The golden, or Goldilocks version, arrived as
Yellow Chartreuse in the late 1830's. Brother Bruno Jacques toned
down the alcohol in the original recipe to 80 proof (40% ABV). The
color, still natural, became more golden, though still greenish. And
it was bright and tasty, to boot.
Both Green and Yellow Chartreuse are available
in special wooden boxes, labeled as V.E.P. You would ask. It
translates to Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolonge, meaning
"exceptionally long-aged." Sort of like this story. Better yet, make
that not unlike a well-aged Bordeaux wine, showing huge complexities
and elegance.
This elixir of long life may not be so lucky,
though. Tres nullité (roughly translating to "bummer"), as there
came the French Revolution, the confiscation of the monastery, and
the subsequent loss, for a time, of the recipe. In 1903, the monks
were exiled to Spain. By 1929, they were back on French soil.
Cheese-Louise, a landslide destroyed their distillery in Fourvoirie.
Being right-thinking monks, they moved to nearby Voirin,
where—Hollywood ending—all 130 of the precise, make that precious,
herbs and botanicals are in their backyard.