Gentian – What is it, and why do we love it so much?
“It’s like licking a lollypop covered in dirt, but in the best possible way!”* – this is right up there with the most apt tasting notes I’ve come across when drinking gentian liqueurs, perfectly encapsulating the essence of what makes this flower so uniquely appealing. Floral aromatics lead the charge before giving way to an earthiness reminiscent of the smell of damp topsoil before powerful bitterness kicks in and takes hold.
Gentian is an obscure plant, if you hail from the sunny isles of Britain and don’t have a particularly passionate hobby for horticulture or botany you could be forgiven for thinking it’s some sort of prescribed medicine you might find at the back of a pharmacist’s shelves. In fact, however, you wouldn’t be far from the truth if your mind did run to the world of medicine - the genus is named in tribute to the Illyrian King Gentius, who is thought to have originally discovered the plants proficiency as a tonic. The medicinal pioneers of the time (likely religious types and scholars) would often seek out bitterness through herbal tonics as a means of aiding digestion, stirring up appetite, and even to chase away bad humours! Of course, this was at a time when we were still burning people for being witches, but modern scientists have since shown that the ingestion of bitter increases the production of saliva and starts the digestive system working overtime, thus confirming our ancestors really did know their stuff!
There are still several brands producing this style of traditional bitter liqueur, particularly in France, and most saw their conception in the late 19th century. One such liqueur is Suze, 1889, which Picasso enjoyed so much he painted it alongside a cigarette in a piece named ‘La Bouteille de Suze’ which highlights the juxtaposition between the horrors of war and life’s simple pleasures – in this case an aperitif and a cigarette. Nowadays, following the craft-cocktail renaissance, these classic liqueurs are making their way back into the cabinets of booze-lovers and bartenders alike, and whilst often used as a secondary, or tertiary ingredient it stands up just as well as the star of the show. I like to splash our Alpine Aperitif over ice and add a squeeze of lemon for a rudimentary sour or, top it with soda water for a long, refreshing, highball. Give it a chance, much like coffee this is one bitter acquired taste worth having.
Written by Mike Canham
*Tasting note, Alex Proudfoot, Jan 2022
Our Perfect Serve
Alpine Highball
50ml Gentian Alpine Aperitif, 100ml Soda Water, fill with ice and garnish with a lemon wedge.