Suze Gentian Liqueur

Quite the dichotomy between a very sweet opening and very bitter finish. Lovely gentian notes. A winner.

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.

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

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)

mild bitter, sweet but not too much so. Rounded and ballanced and a nice sweet desert in itself.