The Corpse Reviver #4: A Suze-Q of a Cocktail

It's amusing to me that the food world, like the fashion world, seems to follow trends. If you are at all with the times, rose gold is the color to be wearing, and bourbon is the liquor to be drinking.

I've always been one who says, "Screw the fads!" and goes with what I like, fad or not. (And, therefore, I am not one to trust when it comes to fashion sense. Like, at all.)

But when it comes to cocktails, I do pay attention to what is rising on the trend horizon. And one liqueur that I am starting to see more and more is a delightful, golden concoction called Suze.

Suze is a bitter liqueur made from gentian root. It is highlighter-yellow in color and has been made by the Swiss since 1889. Suze has a sharp, earthy aroma. A sip of this pungent beverage starts sweetly but ends with a dry, tongue-tingling, bitter finish. Meant to be drunk as an apertif (sipped before dinner to stimulate the appetite), it is also used in the crafting of cocktails.

Upon tasting it the first time, Chef Reiton declared, "This reminds me of Campari!" And then I saw the wheels start turning...

What those wheels cranked out was a riff on the Corpse Reviver #3, with Suze replacing the Campari and tequila going in for the brandy—a delightfully bitter but somehow light and refreshing cocktail.

So here she is for you, folks: the Corpse Reviver #4, crafted by Chef Derrick Reiton:

In a cocktail shaker, combine equal parts Suze, Cointreau (or other clear orange-based liqueur), and reposado tequila with a half part freshly squeeze lemon juice (we tend to go larger with 1 ounce of each liqueur and 1/2 ounce of lemon juice, but you can go smaller, if you wish).

Fill the shaker at least halfway with ice, then shake like mad until the outside of the shaker is frosty and your hand is going numb, about 30 seconds. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a (preferably chilled) cocktail glass (this is called "double straining"). No garnish needed.

ENJOY.