Chartreuse, the Liquor, and Its Carthusian Makers

I vaguely read about the origins of the green and yellow Chartreuse used in cocktails, and the monks of Chartreuse in their self-imposed isolation. Then I heard about the worldwide shortage of Chartreuse, and how it came to be so.

Chartreuse is an herbal, bitter liqueur product made using a blend of 130 plants, herbs and flowers. The original recipe this dates back to 1605 when a manuscript k own as the 'Elixir of Long Life' was bestowed upon the Carthusian monks by François Hannibal d’Estrées.

Green Chartreuse is an essential ingredient in the cocktail aptly named 'The End of the Road'. That's a simple mixture of a peated whisky (usually Laphroaig), Campari and Green Chartreuse. Yes, only three 'ingredients'. 

The recipes of both green and yellow Chartreuse are kept highly secret. I read the information again with renewed interest as stocks of Chartreuse dwindled and its impact felt across all bars in the world. 

In 1840, they formulated a milder, 55 percent alcohol version, Green Chartreuse, and a sweeter, 40 percent Yellow Chartreuse. Both have become popular cocktail ingredients, while the Elixir continues to be sold medicinally for ailments such as indigestion, sore throat and nausea. 

Today, the order sells about 1.5 million bottles of its three hallmark products annually, with the yellow and green liqueurs going for about $60, and cask-aged versions for $180 or more. About half its production run is sold in France, with the United States the largest export market. 

Royalties go back to 380-some Carthusian monks and nuns residing in 22 charter houses spread across the globe, including Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain and the United States. 

Remarkably, among them, only two monks know the full 130-ingredient recipe.

The monks of Chartreuse, also known as the Carthusians, survived 900 years of external turmoil, from avalanches to religious wars, fires, plagues and of course, COVID-19 lockdowns. They make Chartreuse, the liquor. Their business arm Chartreuse Diffusion oversees the operations and logistics of selling to the world. The sales of the liquor Chartreuse sustain this lifestyle. 

But I think the troubles of the modern world is encroaching on the order. And although the order doesn't seem to need that much to survive and for continuity, they decided to make a business decision that that is incoherent, yet so right for the environment. They simply refused to increase the volume of production of the liquor and quietly scaled back the production itself. 

“There’s only so much Chartreuse you can make without ruining the balance of monastic life,” said the Rev. Michael K. Holleran, a former monk who oversaw Chartreuse production from 1986 to 1990.  

This shortage of Chartreuse isn't unexpected. Older stocks have been sold out and current stocks depleted. It's a conscious decision undertaken by the monastic order to not meet the demand. In January 2023, the order sent a letter their partners to explain their collective decision to brew less, protect their monastic life, and focus more on their solitude and prayer. Wow.

Right now, the demand for Chartreuse from retailers, restaurants, bars, consumers outstrip the supply from the monastic order. Still, distributors support and stand by the order's decision. Let the waiting lists grow and the world will understand scarcity a little more, perhaps. At the very least, it's friendlier to the environment.  

“They’re thinking about the long term,” said the German filmmaker Philip Gröning, who waited 16 years while the monks pondered his request to capture life at the Grande Chartreuse monastery, “what’s going to be best for us, and for the planet, over the next thousand years.”

At bars that still stock green Chartreuse, the husband would ask for a glass of 'The End of the Road'. He saw a bottle of green Chartreuse at Kizuna that night when we had dinner and sake there, and couldn't resist asking for a glass. I passed. I'm very much not a cocktails person.

One could choose not to use peated whisky, but even a non-cocktail drinker like me would prefer it peated. Much more 'herbal' that way. Heh. Kizuna made a good mix. Well-balanced ratios. The husband enjoyed his drink loads.

“The Carthusians have a wonderful perspective,” Father Holleran said. “The days pass very quickly when you’re immersed in the shadow of eternity.”