Chartreuse liqueur dates back to 1605, when the monks of a monastery near Paris received a manuscript as a gift from Henry IV's Marshal. It contained the recipe of an alchemist who was an expert in herbs and capable of processing them to create a beneficial remedy. After years spent trying to interpret the manuscript, the first practical formula for reproducing this "Elixir of Long Life" was created in the early 1700s. Today, this recipe is reproduced exclusively by the Chartreuse monks, who refer to the ancient manuscript to recreate what is now known as the "élixir végétale de la Grande-Chartreuse." The recipe, kept secret, contains 130 herbs that are macerated in high-quality alcohol and then distilled. It is then aged in oak barrels in the evocative cellars of Voiron. This liqueur was created in 2005 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the manuscript.