I’m always intrigued by cocktails that look on paper like I would hate them. Almost inevitably, these seem like they’d be far too sweet, usually due to the combination of multiple liqueurs, often with at least one being an aggressive flavor like green chartreuse or St. Germain. So I always appreciate when someone shares a drink like this and specifically calls out the fact that it sounds gross but isn’t. Such is the case with the Jeunesse, from a 1948 book by Maurice Bonnet (who is neither the identically named photographer nor the similarly named astrophysicist Roger-Maurice Bonnet), recently highlighted by David Wondrich in a round-up for The Daily Beast. When I first made this last week, my wife took a sip and declared that it was “the way you wish a mimosa tasted.” In any case, it is delightfully bitter, placing the Suze’s gentian root in the starring role. It’s not particularly high proof, either, and with its strong orange notes, it could easily sub in for a mimosa at brunch.
Jeunesse
2 oz Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 oz Suze liqueur
1 oz lemon juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Express the oils from an orange peel and discard.