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Qu'est-ce que c'est une "SUZE"?
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?
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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?
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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!
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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! ((d)) |
It's pronounced (more or less) "Lee-Lay"
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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>
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Robjame, you need to be confident of your masculinity! ;)
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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
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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"). 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. |
Lillet is commonly available in the US; I can get it at my supermarket. I've never had the red, which is scarcer, but the yellow is very good. It is not like other vermouths at all, though it technically is one; it's sweeter and orangeyer, if that's a word. Principal added flavors are several kinds of orange, and quinine. Delicious. If people question your masculinity when you drink it, pity them.
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Oh I love Lillet! (<i>Lee-lay)</i>
We started drinking Lillet Rouge but now I like Lillet Blanc. In Florida we would mix it with a touch of soda..perfect and no headache :) |
Suze:
i clicked on this post because I thought it was about you!! MY |
Hi all,
>here is the recipe for James Bond's original martini ...< Gin, vodka and Lillet makes a Martini? Pernod, and other brands of Pastis, tastes like licorice. ((I)) |
Ira---it's technically a "Casino Royale".
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I have a couple of questions about ordering "festive" beverages during our upcoming trip to Paris and it seems I've come to the right place! Someone mentioned pastis and I'm reading a book called "A Year in Provence" where they talk about drinking it quite frequently. Could someone please tell me what it is. I saw it mentioned in the same sentence as Pernod, which I think is similar to Sambuca (one of my favorites). Are they similar (sort of licorice flavored)? Also, what is "marc"?
And, will I be able to get my favorite Canadian whiskies (Crown Royal or Canadian Club) in Paris, or should I acclimate my palette to Irish whiskies, which I also enjoy? And, what about biere? What are the brands of choice in Paris? Thanks for any advice...I love a good liquor discussion! |
Pastis is the name of a drink made with Pernod, Ricard, 51, or another anise-flavored brand. So pastis is the drink and Pernod and Ricard and the others are the brand names.
Marc is an eau-de-vie, or a brandy, which is distilled wine. One of the best and rarest is made from the grapes used to make the sparkling wine, Champagne, and called Marc de Champagne. More usual is the marc from Burgundy which can be elegant as well. Think of marc as a French variation of Italian grappa. |
To answer your question more fully, pastis is made by adding water to Pernod or another anise aperitif. The drink becomes cloudy with the addition of water. It is popular in the south of France but I am not sure that it is as widely drunk in Paris. You have to like the flavor of anise.
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I have had pastis in Paris. We now have it at home ...
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Ira,
<<Gin, vodka and Lillet makes a Martini?>> Well, yes... Lillet is vermouth. Isn't a martini usually made with gin or vodka and vermouth? I guess the usual martini would have either gin or vodka but not both, but still, that sounds like a martini to me. ((d)) |
Is pastis normally served chilled? Also, and please forgive my ignorance, but should I expect ice for my drink, and if so, how do I order it? I guess "on the rocks" doesn't work?
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Dave
Pastis can be an apperitif. Usually served room temp with room temp water and a glass with ice although I have had it served without ice. I think that marc generally follows the meal. Kir royale (champagne and (usually) cassis (liquor) make an excellent apperitif. Kir (without the royale) is cassis and dry white wine. I have found that a lot of restaurants have their own variations on Kirs and Kir Royales which is fun to try. IMO put away the CC and CR and other whiskeys and try to find something else to drink in France. (The fun can be in the trying to find...). Some of the great European bieres and of course wine (usually available by the glass in bars.) biere - We usually order "un presssion" - draft and we stay away from the usual stuff. Although I have found even a Stella tastes different in Paris. Of course everything tastes different in Paris. |
Acrtually Ricard and Pernod are brands of pastis. Henri Bardouin pastis is supposed to be the best.
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As for cassis we picked up Gabriel Boudier de Dijon (the birth place of kirs) and I really like it. Different cassises can very much affect a Kir.
And of course in Kir Royales, good champagne DOES make a huge difference. |
Rob, thanks for all the tips...the Kir Royale sounds like it's right up my alley! And, thanks for the advice about CC and CR...you're right, I can get it anytime back here. Just curious: Is there such a thing as French whiskey? I know I like my Grey Goose French vodka!
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Gack. That's definitely not a Martini. James Bond didn't know anything about Martinis, whatever Sean Connery says.
A Martini is London dry gin with dry white vermouth (absolutely not Lillet), mixed in proportions ranging from the original 2-to-1, 3-to-1, 5-1, 20-1, down to even Winston Churchill's apocryphal "bow in the direction of France", stirred rapidly in ice, and strained into a glass with an olive or a twist of lemon. No vodka, no apple liqueur, no chocolate, no bizarre additives of any kind. Lillet is "a vermouth", which is a very broad category of spiced wines, but it is absolutely not a dry French vermouth. Try Noilly Prat in your Martini. I believe marc is made not from grapes themselves but, like grappa, from the skins, seeds, and stems left over after the crush. Traditionally it's an unaged, nasty, lighter-fluid drink for the agricultural workers, but like grappa it has developed over time into a proper spirit that's a very interesting and yummy brandy. |
I agree: in Paris, don't drink whisky (or whiskey either); if you want spirits drink Cognac or Armagnac.
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I've never had a French whisky, but apparently there is such a thing. See http://www.maltmadness.com/deviant.html#France
It says there's a buckwheat whisky made in Brittany which sounds interesting. I guess it makes sense that their whisky is from the Celtic part of the country. Shame I live in Washington State, where the government runs the liquor stores, and if it's not on their paltry list you can't have it. The real French "whisky" is eau-de-vie, or brandy; "whisky", "eau-de-vie", and "aquavit" all mean the same thing in their respective languages: "water of life". |
<Is there such a thing as French whiskey?>
Dave, hubby loves Michel Couvreur's brand. The cellar is in Burgundy near Beaune. I don't appreciate whisky but the smell in the barrel was great! It can be very expensive (up to 275€)... http://www.michelcouvreur.com/ |
There are French whiskeys but I think they are though of as "deviant drams" or "bastard malts". I know there was a flurry to produce whiskey when someone realized that the duty on French products in Japan was less than the duty on products from Scotland.
Why not save your whiskey taste buds to wrap around one of the hundreds of different French Cognacs or Armagnacs. My favorite restaurant in Paris is Le Truffiere in the 5e arrondisement. As well as specializing in truffles (the fungal kind) he has a wonderful collection of Armagnacs which he will gladly share with you (at an appropriate €). |
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