And Now for Something Suze
3.8 8 ratings
Ingredients
How to make
Serve in a nick & nora glass
Method
- 1 Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
- 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist (discarded) and fresh thyme sprig on floating dehydrated lemon wheel.
- 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
- 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Flavour profile
24.9% alc./vol. · 1.9 standard drinks · 199 calories
History
This dry, spirituous aperitif cocktail was originally created for Navy strength gin, but 40–43% alc./vol. gin provides sufficient punch.
Gary Elliott created this drink in 2017 at Dorcol Distilling and Brewing Co., San Antonio, USA. His original recipe uses Plymouth Navy strength gin, a premium dry vermouth such as Carpano, Suze gentian liqueur, and Bigallet Thym. Elliott states, "I fell in love with Suze at first taste. The full-bodied citrus and herbs and the long spicy, bitter finish had me! I frequently use it as a modifier to add richness and a little herbal bitterness to various cocktails. Almost a secret ingredient. I created this cocktail to highlight the flavors of Suze. After trying multiple styles of gin, I settled on Navy Strength Plymouth Gin. Various London dries and Botanist were also very good. I further experimented with vermouth. Sweet vermouth alone does not work well. A premium dry or a "perfect" with dry and bianco are best. I've been making variations of this cocktail for a few years. Only recently have I added Bigallet Thym. While totally optional, the Thym enhances the woody notes of the Suze and prolongs the herbal flavors into the finish. Just remember that the Thym is the modifier here. More than 3 or 4 drops will result in a powerful taste of thyme. The nose is lemon and faint herbs. The first flavors are herbal and a touch woody. Juniper follows with continued herbs and just a hint of thyme. The finish is herbal, spicy and clean."
Created by Gary Elliott