Do monks still make green Chartreuse

A.� The liqueur is made at the Chartreuse distillery in France by the Carthusian order. They are not an enclosed order and do have limited contact with the outside world.

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Q.� How long have they been making it

A.� The Grande Chartreuse monastery, which was built in 1084, has always been commercially active. In the beginning, they made charcoal and mined ore. They are said to have initiated modern metallurgy and even supplied weaponry to the Knights Templar. So successful were they, that in the 16th century, the local authority passed a law restricting their access to natural resources. The brothers turned to alcohol and built a distillery nearby.

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Q.� How did they make the liqueur

A.� For more than 100 years, they had been in possession of an ancient manuscript bearing the recipe for an elixir of long life. In 1737, an enterprising apothecary monk translated the document into a workable formula and Chartreuse was conceived. The 71 per cent abv (alcohol by volume) Herbal Elixir is still made that way today.

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Working from an original formula, the monks quickly developed a lighter liqueur, green Chartreuse, at only 55 per cent abv. It was an instant hit. In about 1840, the formula was adapted to produce another yellow liqueur with a lower alcohol level (40 per cent abv), supposedly for women.

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Q.� What is it made from

A.� The ingredients of Chartreuse have long remained a mystery. The distillation process begins with wine alcohol and neutral spirits derived from sugar beet. There are 130 different herbs used - but the monks never say which and how many of each.

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Q.� How are the monks involved today

A. The monks control the distillation process from the comfort of their own cells today. They are connected to the distillery in Voiron by computer. On one occasion, a falling tree cut the line. The stills were left to boil and the drink was ruined. Two members of the Carthusian order are allowed to leave the monastery and keep an eye on the progress of the liqueur.

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By Katharine MacColl