Chartreuse, Herbal Liqueur The order of Chartreuse (The Carthusians) is a Christian contemplative, silent, monastic order dating back to 1084. The first "Elixir of Long Life" was created by the order of "La Grande Chartreuse" near Grenoble in 1737. It was a blend of plants, herbs and botanicals suspended in wine alcohol (71% volume) and sold for medicinal purposes to neighbouring villages by the monks and this secret recipe is still closely guarded by the monks to this day. Since 1970, a company named Chartreuse Diffusion has been responsible for the bottling, packaging and marketing of the liqueurs plus a few other products selected by the monks for their high quality.