The Herbal Elixir de la Grande-Chartreuse
"ELIXIR VÉGÉTAL DE LA GRANDE-CHARTREUSE"
In 1605, the Duke of Estrees entrusted the Carthusians with a manuscript bearing a mysterious recipe made up of 130 plants that could give rise to an "Elixir of long life". For more than a century and a half, the Carthusians will develop this recipe which will give birth, thanks in particular to Brother Jérôme Maubec, to a final product fixed in 1764 called "Plant Elixir of the Grande Chartreuse". It was quickly distributed as a care product to local populations, especially during the cholera crisis of 1832. Brother Charles was the first to market it in local markets, descending on a donkey from the monastery. Since 1764, the recipe for the Elixir has remained unchanged.
Ingredients
Alcohol, sugar, water, vegetable substances (130 plants, flowers, spices, bark, roots and berries)
Degrés d'alcool
69% vol.
Bottle presentation
10cl - In a bottle itself placed in a wooden case which protects it from light and ensures its perfect conservation
Nutritional informations
Elaboration
Production of the Élixir Végétal takes several weeks and includes three stages: distillation to obtain the aroma, maceration, which gives the natural colour, and extraction to recover the beneficial properties from the 130 plants, flowers, spices, bark, roots and berries it contains. Its properties lie primarily in the use of the plants in their natural state.
Tasting notes
It is an after-dinner drink and a very effective tonic:
- Pure in a teaspoon
- In herbal tea or as a toddy with honey and lemon
- A few drops on a sugar lump or a meringue
- In a cup of water if you feel tired, ailing or under the weather
- A few drops in a cocktail for a herbal note
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Photo ©Pascal Flamant
- Pure in a teaspoon
- In herbal tea or as a toddy with honey and lemon
- A few drops on a sugar lump or a meringue
- In a cup of water if you feel tired, ailing or under the weather
- A few drops in a cocktail for a herbal note
__
Photo ©Pascal Flamant
