I have been in the habit of ordering a Kir Royale before dinner but some of you have mentioned a "suze". What is it? Is it a "girlie drink"? Any other apperitifs that you fancy when in France?

It is a brand name of an Auvergnat aperitif; the primary note is gentian, I think. Not girly.

I like St. Raphael.

Suze is definitely not girly. I don't even like the smell of it.

I'm partial to Lillet...

Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. This a large genus, with about 400 species.
So what is that note like?
Is Lillet a brand of Suze?
Straight up or on the rocks?

DO you know what bitters taste like? That's Gentian.

About Lillet: http://www.lillet.fr/lillet.jsp?d=h&&lang=fr

Suze is herbal. It is also used as a digestif. It has vanilla in it as well as some other herb/spices.
Suze is not a brand of Lillet; it is nothing like Lillet, which is a vermouth-like base with orange peel and quinine flavors. Lillet can be red or white. I believe that the company (lillet) recently changed hands and that the formula has been altered slightly for the better but I cannot recall the deails.

According to "A Modern Herbal", it's probably Gentian lutae, the yellow gentian:

"All the known species are remarkable for the intensely bitter properties residing in the root and every part of the herbage, hence they are valuable tonic medicines. That most commonly used in Europe is Gentiana lutea, the Yellow Gentian. The root of this species is the principal vegetable bitter employed in medicine, though the roots of several other species, including our native ones, are said to be equally efficacious. Before the introduction of hops, Gentian, with many other bitterherbs, was used occasionally in brewing beer. . ."

I've never tried it, though. I do like Lillet.

Is Lillet considered a drink more for women?

They have a great website, including a recipe for Casino Royale (1/2 part Lillet, 1 part vodka, 3 parts gin, a few ice cubes. Shaken, not stirred. Whew!

I like it over ice with a twist of lime.

I also am partial to Lillet. But be careful how you pronounce it when ordering. I once mispronounced it and was served a glass of milk. Oh well, the entire restaurant got a good laugh!

So is it lee-lay? Or lil-lay?

And robjame, are you a botanist?

No, I don't think Lillet is considered a drink for women!

It's a type of vermouth.

I like it chilled or on the rocks with an orange slice.

As enzian posted above, here is the recipe for James Bond's original martini that appears in Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, Casino Royale:

3 oz gin
1 oz vodka
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
Pour the gin, vodka and Lillet blanc into a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked ice. Shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, and serve.

Cheers!

It's pronounced (more or less) "Lee-Lay"

And robjame, are you a botanist?
No I am a drinkist and foodie. LOL

What about Pernod? Is it a girlie drink? (I love the way it clouds with the addition of water).
Maybe it is simpler to stick with Kir Royale....

Robjame---=D>

Robjame, you need to be confident of your masculinity!

and i thought you were talking about me
;-)

Marcy - I am confident in my masculinity... it is how the other people perceive it that I am worried about. LOL

Suze is a sweet, thick, almost syrupy bitter made with yellow gentian. It has a very strong, sweet and bitter flavor, aromatic but not herbal, maybe like a sweeter Campari or something. Fantastic stuff in my book. I've never seen a bottle of it in the US.

If you order it in a Paris cafe (assuming the waiter does not feign deafness at your pronunciation, as has happened to me) it will arrive in a hefty glass with a single hunk of ice in it. I imagine it's possible to drink it other ways, mixed with maybe cola or something; but I wouldn't want to. I'm probably doing it wrong, but I like it.

The one I was never able to order, due to pronunciation difficulties, was Byrrh, pronounced "beer" (as opposed to beer, or bière, pronounced "bee-ehrrr&quot. If I had not given up and ordered something else, he would still be standing there, bent forward, head cocked, pretending to hear no sounds at all. I still don't know what it tastes like.