Though the inherently bitter gentian root finds its way into many backbar staples, from Cocchi Americano to Campari, in Suze, it stands apart. With its unique amber-colored bottle—largely unchanged since it was first introduced more than a century ago—the distinctive, lightly vegetal and very bitter liqueur is also deceptively versatile.

When distillery owner Fernand Moureaux introduced Suze to the French market in 1889, he intended it to compete with existing bitters brands like Picon, Cusenier and St Raphaël. But he broke from tradition with his vision for a version of the gentian aperitif made without wine, distilling the root and infusing it with a unique bouquet of herbs and fruit extracts.

How the liqueur came to be known as Suze has a more widely debated history: By one account, it was named for a river in Switzerland, while an alternate theory suggests that it derives its name from that of its founder’s sister-in-law, Suzanne Jaspart, who sang the praises of the aperitif upon first sampling it.

She wasn’t alone, either. Following its introduction to the market, Suze quickly became a staple of Parisian café culture, winning a gold medal for quality at the Exposition Universelle both the year it debuted and again in 1900. By 1912, the beloved aperitif was popular enough to inspire Picasso’s collage La Bouteille de Suze, which depicts a bottle alongside a lit cigarette, set against a backdrop of newsprint in an ode to life’s simple pleasures.

Despite its popularity in France, it took a full century for the aperitif to be imported to the United States, at which point the liqueur, which had once been available only when smuggled in a traveler’s suitcase, quickly became a bartender favorite—prized, unsurprisingly, for its bitterness.

One of the most popular ways to use Suze is in the White Negroni and its many riffs, from the tikified to the sour. Toby Cecchini uses it in his White Negroni Sbagliato, for instance. “Unlike some straight bittering elements used in amari, gentian has a fantastically gorgeous aroma,” says Cecchini. “[It’s] completely its own and utterly beguiling.” 

But the liqueur can do more than complete the modern classic; it can also spice up other familiar templates. “Suze lends a bracing bitterness that’s still very clean, crisp and inviting,” says Chaim Dauermann of New York’s Up & Up, making it perfect as the added flair to a classic. Dauermann sharpens the Gin & Tonic with the liqueur for his Insanely Good Gin & Tonic, which gets a double dose of bitters thanks to a dash of Angostura. In Natasha David’s fresh reimagining of the classic Champagne Cocktail, meanwhile, Suze takes center stage. And other drinks can borrow the White Negroni approach—swapping the liqueur in for Campari—like the Jungle Bird–esque Kingston Soundsystem, which pairs the bitter flavor with soursop or pineapple.

Ingredients that amplify and evoke the aromatics in Suze work particularly well as pairings in cocktails. In Raymond Delaney’s Bring June Flowers, jasmine syrup plays up the liqueur’s floral flavor, while muddled cucumber matches its vegetal notes. Similarly, in Jim Kearns’ Link Ray, celery juice balances that earthiness, paired with lime juice, cane syrup and a spirit of your choice—tequila, agricole rum, gin or vodka—in a nod to the liqueur’s versatility. 

Suze’s bitterness can also stand up against elements on the other end of the flavor spectrum. It counters the smokiness of mezcal in Timothy Miner’s Fumata Bianca and the subtle sweetness of strawberry and vanilla in Francois Vera’s Moulin Rouge #2. “It brings balance to a cocktail without hurting the palate of those who don’t enjoy much bitterness,” Vera explains.

He adds, however, that it’s often worth exploring the liqueur the way that it’s been drunk in Paris for over a century; come summer, there’s no harm in taking Suze out of the cocktail equation altogether and serving it straight, on the rocks with a lemon twist or simply topped with tonic.