{At the Chartreuse factory in Voiron outside of Grenoble)
Je suis une francophile, I admit it. Sampling liqueurs from around the world may very well be one of my favorite hobbies, and sampling liqueurs from France trumps all.
I lived and studied in Grenoble, France during the Fall of 2008, and one of the specialty liqueurs from that region was Chartreuse - an aromatic digestif made by Carthusian monks in the monasteries of Voiron since 1740. We took a tour of the factory, and immediately Chartreuse became one of my favorite special-occasion drinks. It's warming, aromatic, and the ideal sipping liqueur in the cold slopes of Grenoble.
If you haven't tried it, you really are missing out. It's one of those beverages capable of transporting you through time, and making you feel like you're in a different era.
{Vintage Chartreuse Ad}
There are three main types of Chartreuse: Chartreuse verte (green, 110 proof made with 132 plants and its color naturally derived from chlorophyll), Chartreuse jaune (yellow, 80 proof that is slightly sweeter), and l'Elixir de Longue Vie (142 proof). Each is potent, aromatic and strong. Each warms the soul.
You can buy Chartreuse at any specialty liquor store in the United States. If you really want to feel a part of the times drinking the queen of all liqueurs (la reine des liqueurs), I recommend drinking it out of vintage glasses like these.
{L'Elixir de Longue Vie}
{Part of the monastery is turned into a bar for visitors to sample the Chartreuse liqueur of her choice}
{The mountains of Voiron where we played with sheep}
Here are some pictures of the Carthusian monastery where Chartreuse is made. If you find yourself in the Rhone-Alpes region of France, visiting Voiron and the Chartreuse factory is a must. The whole place smells aromatic and warm, and they even make it the same way as they did in the 1740s!
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