My parents are dyed-in-the-wool Francophiles, and I've inherited from them a healthy appreciation for all things French. Today, I was delighted to receive a new reference book my father sent to add fuel to my fascination with cocktails, spirits, cordials, and liqueurs.
The first recipe I tried from it is an absolute delight. It's intensely bitter, with some lovely herbal notes, all balanced with sweet lemon. It is a very refreshing low-ABV cocktail, that surely will have the medicinal qualities needed to fight off the doldrums I've been feeling this afternoon (nothing at all serious, I just haven't been sleeping too well this week).
Quatresse 2 oz - Suze 1 oz - Lemon Juice ½ oz - Simple Syrup ½ tsp - Peated Scotch Whisky (I used Bruichladdich) 2 leaves - Fresh Sage, Muddled Shake until well chilled and pour over crushed ice
The Quatresse is the signature drink of a Parisian bar called Combat, as interpreted by David Lebovitz—pastry chef, journalist, and author of the book Drinking French (2020).
For the curious, Suze is a gentian root apéritif—bright yellow in color and intensely bitter and botanical. It is only 30 proof (whereas whisky, gin, and most spirits are in the 70 to 100 proof range). The only reasonable substitute for Suze I am aware of is an even less common French apéritif called Salers, which is higher in proof.