Best Chartreuse from gastronomic starred restaurants

Are you looking for the best references in Chartreuse? Bestwine • Online is an online wine list which references all the bottles of wines and spirits served in starred gastronomic restaurants. Discover bottles of Chartreuse selected by chefs, sommeliers, and barmen in the most fabulous addresses in high quality gastronomy.

Best Chartreuses

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Chartreuse Name	Chartreuse Vintage	Chartreuse Alcohol Degree	Restaurant
Chartreuse Verte	–	55°	⭐⭐⭐ – Yannick Alléno – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Beaumanière – France ⭐⭐⭐ – The Fat Duck – United Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom
Chartreuse Jaune	–	43°	⭐⭐⭐ – Beaumanière – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom
Chartreuse Reine des Liqueurs	2016	53°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
Chartreuse Santa Tecla Jaune	2013	51°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
Chartreuse Fous de Chartreuse Jaune	2017	49°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
Chartreuse Fous de Chartreuse Episcopale	2016	49°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
Chartreuse V.E.P. Verte	2017	43°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Rhe Dorchester – United Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐ – Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester – United Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom
Chartreuse V.E.P. Jaune	2017	42°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Beaumanière – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom
“Une Chartreuse” Jaune	2016	49°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
“Une Chartreuse Verte	2015	47°	⭐⭐⭐ – Clos Des Sens – France
Chartreuse Cuvée Spéciale Meilleur Ouvrier de France “Sommelier”	–	45°	⭐⭐⭐ – Georges Blanc – France ⭐⭐⭐ – Beaumanière – France
Chartreuse 9ème Centenaire	–	52°	⭐⭐⭐ – Beaumanière – France
Chartreuse de Tarragona Green	1975	53°	⭐⭐⭐ – The Fat Duck – United Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom
Chartreuse de Tarragona Yellow	1978	52°	⭐⭐⭐ – The Fat Duck – United Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐ – Core by Clare Smyth – United Kingdom

Chartreuse

Chartreuse is a liqueur made with 130 different plants. As you can tell by its name, Chartreuse is only produced in the Chartreuse mountains in France. To be more precise, Chartreuse is made in the Aiguenoire Distillery in the county of Entre- deux -Guiers in the Isère region. So, Chartreuse is only produced in France in a unique Distillery.

Chartreuse is a liqueur made by the monks in the Grande Chartreuse Monastery, called the Chartreux fathers. Furthermore, sales of Chartreuse are the only source of income for these monks.

Brands of Chartreuse

There are actually no brands of Chartreuse, as there is only one Distillery producing authentic Chartreuse Liqueurs. So Chartreuse is a brand which has become a household name. As Chartreuse is a unique product from a unique Distillery there is no controlled designation of origin (AOC) for Chartreuse. In addition, the recipe for Chartreuse does not have a patent which mentions the composition of the liqueur. This absence of patent allows the Cartusien Order to keep its monopoly on its product as nobody knows the recipe of Chartreuse. The brand “Chartreuse” is identified by a signature on the bottom right-hand corner of the label on the bottles. A firm called Chartreuse Diffusion is in charge of the conditioning, communication, and sales of Chartreuse since 1970.

The history of Chartreuse dates back to 1605. In 1605 the Duc d’Estrées gave a manuscript containing an unknown formula of an “elixir” (including virtually the full total of medicinal plants at that time), to the monks of the Chartreuse de Vauvert in Paris.

Too complicated, the recipe of this elixir nicknamed “long life Elixir” does not seem to have been used for several decades in Paris.

In 1737 the Grande Chartreuse Monastery (near to the town of Grenoble) decided to make a close study of it. The Grande Chartreuse Apothecary, Father Jérôme Maubec was given the task. In 1764 he finally managed to definitively establish the formula which became the Vegetable Elixir of the Grande-Chartreuse. The Chartreuse as we know it today was born.

Chartreuse Production

The recipes of the different types of Chartreuse are confidential. No one actually knows the full recipe for Chartreuse. Only 3 monks each know a part of the recipe for the production of Chartreuse. The exact composition of Chartreuse is a secret which needs a minimum of two monk’s knowledge to be reconstituted. We only know that Chartreuse is a mixture of numerous plants, flowers, and herbs. Over 130 plants, flowers and herbs are incorporated in the recipe for Chartreuse.

The distinguishing feature of Chartreuse is that it is uniquely made with natural products. The plants, flowers and herbs are directly picked in the wild or in cultivated fields near Grenoble. This region is particularly rich in flowers, plants and herbs with great forests and a mountainous environment with a unique flora. The monks dose each plant, flower, or herb according to the reference of Chartreuse to be made. All the ingredients are then added to grape alcohol to be macerated. Next, the liquid is distilled to increase the alcohol content and concentrate the aromas.

A liqueur is a flavoured spirit which contains at least 100 grammes of sugar per litre. Moreover, this sugar content is what legally defines a liqueur according to European legislation. For Chartreuse, honey and sugar syrup are added to the liquid.

 Chartreuse is therefore,  a liqueur which is macerated then distilled. Chartreuse is aged several months in Russian, Hungarian or French oak barrels then in bottles in the Chartreuse wine cellars situated In Voiron in the region of Isère.

At the moment, several references of Chartreuse are produced:

• L’Elixir Vegetal: made by the Chartreux monks since 1764 according to the written instructions given by the Duc d’Estrées in 1605. L’Elixir Vegetal contains 130 medicinal and aromatic plants. It is made with alcohol, sugar and plants and has an alcohol content of 69°

• La Chartreuse Verte: Green Chartreuse is the only green liqueur created with natural ingredients to be aged in oak barrels or in bottles. Green Chartreuse is made of alcohol, sugar and 130 plants. It has an alcohol content of 55°. Green Chartreuse is considered as a classical and traditional Chartreuse.

• La Chartreuse Jaune: Yellow Chartreuse is produced with the same plants as the Green Chartreuse but in different proportions.

• Green Chartreuse V.E.P: Green Chartreuse V.E.P. is made with the same recipe as Green Chartreuse; it is the exceptionally long Ageing (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé – V.E.P) which gives this Chartreuse a specific flavour. It has an alcohol content of 43°.

• La Chartreuse Jaune V.E.P: V.E.P. Yellow Chartreuse is made with the same recipe as Yellow Chartreuse but has been aged longer (Vieillissement Exceptionnellemnt Prolongée) which gives it a specific flavour. Yellow V.E.P Chartreuse has an alcohol content of 42°.

• La Liqueur du 9ème Centenaire: La Liqueur du 9^ème Centenaire was created in 1984 to commerate the 9th centenary of the founding of the Grande Chartreuse in 1084. It is produced by assembling aged liqueurs. La Liqueur du 9ème Centenaire has an alcohol content of 47°.

• La Liqueur d ’Elixir: La Liqueur d’Elixir is a replica of the recipe for the first Chartreuse made during the 1600s. It has an alcohol content of 56°.

• Chartreuse Meilleurs Ouvriers de France: A Chartreuse produced since 2007 in collaboration with the Sommeliers who are the best in France (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France). La Chartreuse Meilleurs Ouvriers de France has an alcohol content of 45°.

Apart from Chartreuse, the Chartreux Fathers also make Genepy liqueurs, Gentian, walnut liqueur and “Foudre liqueur” (the 147 Chartreuse only marketed in the Voiron Cellars.)

It is possible to find vintage references of Chartreuse like Green Chartreuse or the Jaune de Tarragone produced between 1903 and 1989, the Eau-de-Vie made in 1941, the Chartreuses Episcopales, the Tarragone Jaune du siècle, the Chartreuse jaune ou verte de Santa Tecla, the Chartreuse 1605, or the Chartreuse Blanche.

The alcohol content of Chartreuse is 55° for green Chartreuse, the most popular variety, which makes it a relatively strong liqueur.

Chartreuse Consumption

For people wishing to taste the original version of Chartreuse, it is still possible to find it under the name of Elixir Végétal de la Grande Chartreuse.

As it is a liqueur, Chartreuse is most often served as an after-dinner drink.  It is traditionally served chilled with ice cubes or very cold at 5°.

In starred gastronomic restaurants, Chartreuse is mainly found on the wine list of French restaurants. However, it may also be found on the wine menu of a large number of gastronomic restaurants worldwide. Each year, there are one million five hundred thousand bottles of Chartreuse produced by the Chartreux brothers. Chartreuse is well-known and loved all over the world. It is a liqueur made with authentic plants whose flavour and history are unique. Yellow Chartreuse is sweet and mellow with flowery, honey and spicy flavours. Green Chartreuse, in contrast, is stronger and has an aroma of plants. The appearance of Chartreuse is also appreciated. The green or yellow colours of Chartreuse come from the chlorophyll present in the plants for Green Chartreuse and from the saffron for Yellow Chartreuse.

Barmen in gastronomic restaurants use Chartreuse to create cocktails like the Green Chaud, the Chartreuse Mule, l’Episcopale, the Cocktail Cardinale, the Hypermetrope, the Shuttle, the Chartreuse Tonic, the Chartreuse Soleil, the Chartreuse Expérience, the Snake Bite, the Tip and Top, the Café Grenoblois, the Marseillais, the Ictère, the Chartreus’ito, the Vilaine or even the Bijou.

Some chefs in starred gastronomic restaurants use Chartreuse in their cooking to flavour fish, poultry, chocolate, cakes, ice creams and sorbets.

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