Suze in Paradise

From Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Aperitifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 100 Recipes, by David Lebovitz

Tucked in a corner on the rue Paradis is the “headquarters” of the Fédération Française de l’Apéritif (FFA), presided over by cofounder Quentin Chapuis. The apéro bar features food and drinks, everything proudly (and officially) made in France. To prove that point, two long rows of Suze bottles crowd shelves stocked with everything from French whiskey to Macvin du Jura. This fizzy drink is their version of a spritz, sticking to their mission, with French spirits as their base.

And because aperitif always taste better when there’s something to snack on, there are also jars of red pepper-spiked Basque pâté, socca chips from Nice (be careful with these; once you open the bag, you’ll have a hard time not finishing them all), and even dried insectes pour l’apéritif. These beetle larvae seasoned with garlic and fines herbes may, indeed, be tasty (the are French after all…), but I’ll stick with the FFA’s well-curated selection of French charcuterie and cheeses, merci.

Reprinted with permission from Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Aperitifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 100 Recipes, by David Lebovitz, copyright © 2020. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Photographs copyright © 2020 by Ed Anderson.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 1/2 ounces Suze
  • 1 1/2 ounces Suze
  • 1/2 ounce crème de framboise or crème de cassis
  • 1/2 ounce crème de framboise or crème de cassis
  • 3 ounces freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
  • 3 ounces freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

Garnish: grapefruit, orange or lemon twist

Directions
  1. Mix the Suze, crème de framboise and grapefruit juice in a large footed goblet or wine glass.
  2. Add the tonic water and fill the glass with ice.
  3. 
Stir briefly, and garnish with the citrus twist.

Tagged: aperitif, spritz, Suze