above, adding cardamom seeds and socctrine aloes." The monks intended their liqueur to be used as medicine. The exact recipes for all forms of Chartreuse remain trade secrets and are known at any given time only to the three monks who prepare the herbal mixture. The only formally known element of the recipe is that it uses 130 different plants. Chartreuse is commonly used as an ingredient in cocktails, such as a Cloister and Last Word. Types Green Chartreuse Green Chartreuse (110 proof or 55% ABV) is a naturally green liqueur made from 130 herbs and other plants macerated in alcohol and steeped for about eight hours. A last maceration of plants gives its color to the liqueur. The first version of the liqueur was devised in 1825, with the modern version first released in 1840. Yellow Chartreuse Yellow Chartreuse (80 proof or 40%) has a milder and sweeter flavor and aroma than Green Chartreuse, and is lower in alcohol content. Chartreuse VEP VEP stands for Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé, meaning "exceptionally prolonged aging". It is made using the same processes and the same secret formula as the traditional liqueur, and by extra long aging in oak casks it reaches an exceptional quality. Chartreuse VEP comes in both yellow and green. Élixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse Élixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse (138 proof or 69%) has the same base of about 130 medicinal and aromatic plants and flowers but is more alcoholic. It can be described as a cordial or a liqueur, and is claimed to be a tonic. Sold in small wood-covered bottles. Liqueur du 9° Centenaire Liqueur du 9° Centenaire (47%) was created in 1984 to commemorate the 900 year anniversary of the foundation of the abbey. It is similar to Green Chartreuse, but slightly sweeter. Chartreuse 1605 – Liqueur d'Elixir Chartreuse 1605 – Liqueur d'Elixir (56%) was created to commemorate the return of a mysterious manuscript concerning an elixir of long life to the Carthusian monks by Marshal François Annibal d'Estrées. White Chartreuse White Chartreuse (30% ABV) was produced and sold between 1860 and 1880, and again from 1886 to 1903. Génépi The monks make a Génépi which is the general term in the Alps for a homemade or local liqueur featuring local mountain flora. There are hundreds or even thousands of different Génépi liqueurs made, many simply by families for their own use each year. As they