Suze Gentian Liqueur

Appearance (neat): Chrome yellow. Appearance (diluted): Pale canary yellow. Aroma (neat): Crisp, clear, clean gentian extract. Some earthy herbal and root extract notes. Flavour (neat): Sugary, honeyed sweetness at first, followed by a growing awareness of bitterness. Initially the bitterness is one-note, but with time complexity is obvious with turmeric, saffron and juniper all being clearly identifiable. The texture is full and mouth-coating, but not syrupy. Suze is one of the more difficult bitter liqueurs to get to know and use effectively. It’s not an aperitivo like Aperol nor is it an amaro that can stand on its own as an aperitif or digestif. It’s somewhere in between and can be enjoyed equally neat over ice or as a cocktail ingredient. It breaks the rules and does not go particularly well with prosecco, but can be balanced by a sweet asti sparkling wine to create a very pleasant and refreshing long drink. It also rebels against tonic but gets on very well with lemonade. Surprisingly, it loves rouge vermouth. Unlike many amari and aperitifs that employ gentian, either in solo or as a duet with wormwood, in order to add a bitter quality, Suze goes the whole distance and is based squarely on that herbal extract with many other subtle aromatics in support. Its apparent immediate simplicity belies the complexity of the drink and proves that gentian, like juniper, is a subtle and multi-faceted aromatic. A fascinating and initially quirky aperitif that grows on you once you acquire the taste. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)

Clear yellow. Very unique nose. I don’t know what gentian smells like, or what is in this besides that, but this is interesting; citrus, apple, earth, stone fruit, vanilla and herbal. There’s obviously going to be some bitterness but it’s difficult to tell how much. There’s actually just mild bitterness at the finish, but generally it’s sweet, but not too sweet. The flavor is hard to describe, but it’s a bit like lemon, pear, sugar, bitter something and vanilla.

Classic French, Gentian-based aperitif; fragrant lemon blossom and rooty earth tones define this delicately sweet, densely bitter liqueur. The autrefois is the more traditional recipe, being of a higher proof and more intensely flavored. (Had to knock off a star for the inclusion of yellow #5 coloring) Take a page out of Saler’s book and leave it be!

Bitter gentian aperitif from France. Rich warm yellow color and sweet bitter herbal flavor, dry bitter finish. Like the French aperitif Salers, but better on its own--more rounded and refined, not as sharp. Makes an excellent cocktail too--simple Suze and Tonic, or G&T with Suze. My favorite of the white amari or gentian liqueurs.

Nice bitter herbal liqueur. Ordered online because they did not carry it locally. Not a huge fan of drinking it alone over ice, but makes an excellent white negroni. The original negroni is one of my favorite drinks of all time, and the white negroni is not far behind. Looking forward to experimenting with it more in cocktails.

A beautiful balanced sweet earthy and bitter liqueur. Pablo Picasso’s favorite. Use to make a White Negroni