The label just about says it all: Gentiane. Extra bitter. Twenty percent. What it doesn’t say is that this gentian liqueur from French wine producer Domaine La Bohème has the power to change White Negronis for you forever. That’s what it’s done for me. Sub it in for Suze and the drink suddenly contains innumerably more layers. At 20 percent ABV, the liqueur is the same proof as Suze, perhaps its closest competitor, but Gentiane is wine-based, giving it a rounder mouthfeel and a juicy taste that slowly fades to a lingering, extra-bitter finish. But it’s not just White Negronis that are improved with a splash of this stuff. Anything Suze can do, this can do better. Or, at the very least, bitter-er.
As the label makes clear, this aperitif liqueur is indeed extra-bitter, but only on the finish, which makes it a delight to drink on its own, slightly chilled, as it evolves from something almost fruity into something decidedly more vegetal and herbal. It can liven up a G&T, too, or you can simply top it with tonic. My preferred use is in a White Mezcal Negroni, a drink I now regularly make at home thanks entirely to Gentiane, which gives the drink uncommon depth; it’s minerally, herbal and of course bitter, but not all at once. It’s a drink that takes you on a journey right to the bitter end.