Chartreuse, one of the world’s most beloved and in-demand liqueurs, just found a second home in the heart of Paris.
The brand’s new visitor center was inaugurated on Tuesday and is dedicated to the history of the Carthusian monks who invented the herbaceous liqueur and their long-time presence in the French city.
Carthusian monks have had ties to Paris for over 500 years, and in the 1500s, their monastery maintained a close connection to the apothecaries in town. That’s why when French diplomat and soldier François Hannibal d’Estrées discovered a recipe for an elixir for “long life” in 1605, he turned it over to the Carthusians. From 1605 to 1764, Chartreuse was produced in Paris at the Chartreuse de Paris, a then-new addition to the Carthusian monastery located just blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens.
The monastery was destroyed during the French Revolution, though the Gardens are miraculously still home to a number of trees that originated from the monks’ nursery. According to Pascaline Lepeltier, who shared the news on Instagram, 128 Boulevard St Germain was chosen as the ideal location for the new Chartreuse visitor center due to its close proximity to both the trees and the location where the elixir’s recipe was first handed over.
At the new visitor center, guests can expect immersive experiences that educate about the brand and the monks’ rich histories, similar to those found at the brand’s other center in Voiron. Additionally, visitors can find a special release of the spirit packaged in a porcelain container created by Revol. As glass containers did not yet exist when the monks were distilling in Paris, the limited-release packaging pays homage to this detail in Chartreuse’s history.
Visitors are also welcome to take part in herbalism lessons or try one of the brand’s new herbal tea blends, which the brand says were created to aid with sleep, digestion, respiratory health, and muscle relaxation.
