Suze is a pleasingly bitter French apéritif made from the gentian root, which grows in the mountains of Switzerland and France. “It really captures the essence of the earth. You can sense how the root twisted its tendrils into the rocks like an octopus,” says Scott Baird, founder of the cocktail consulting firm Bon Vivants. It manages to be earthy, bitter, and floral all at once.
Sother Teague, bartender at the bitters-focused New York bar Amor y Amargo, would compare it to the less esoteric Lillet. “Suze has a beautiful soft citrus undertone,” she says. “Though it’s bitter, it also provides some sweetness, and remains very refreshing.”
There’s a whole family of gentian-based booze out there: Salers, Avèze—even old favorites Aperol and Campari contain some of the bitter root. But Suze retains a special cachet. Though it was invented in 1885, it wasn’t until 2012 that French maker Pernod found a willing U.S. importer in Domaine Select. Until then, it could only be found on the back bar of cocktail joints, smuggled over in the suitcases of in-the-know bartenders. (“Every time a friend went abroad, it was ‘Bring me some Suze. Suze, please,’” recalls Baird.) Now that Suze is available to law-abiding citizens, it’s time to give it a chance.
Suze is ideal both for cocktails and for straight sipping as a pre- or post-dinner drink. Baird compares it to adding soy or umami to dishes for that something-special boost. “It works that other corner,” he says. “It has grounded depth, that necessary base note.”
