The debate about the origin of Suze liqueur persists, it’s a secret that has lasted for years! But the YouTuber Les Vadrouilles de Fred gives us the answer.
France and Switzerland compete against each other for the country that gave birth to Suze, the origin of the drink is controversial.
Suze is a bitter made from 50% wild gentian, commonly tasted as an aperitif. Its brown bottle bears the recognizable logo in yellow and orange. A doubt arises as to its origin and that is because the bottle is marked “Produit de France” (Product of France).
Where does the Suze come from?
It is in the village of Sonvilier, in the Swiss Jura, that the liqueur was born in 1885, created by Hans Kappeler, a herbalist from Sonvilier. The name comes from the river Suze, which is very close to what used to be Kappeler’s house. However, at the time, it was called L’or des Alpes (The Gold of the Alps). The inhabitants of Sonvilier claim that Kappeler invented the Suze, but the most curious thing is that the name of Hans Kappeler is pretty much nowhere to be seen and the origin is disputed between Kappeler and the Frenchman Fernand Moureaux, who is mentioned on the official Suze website. In Sonvilier, there is even a museum dedicated to Suze.
The story is that Hans Kappeler, broke and in poor health, decided to sell the recipe to Fernand Moureaux, a Frenchman. Moureaux, bought the recipe and marketed it later. In 1889, Moureaux presented the Suze at the Universal Exhibition and received honors and gold medals for it. Nowadays the liqueur is owned by Pernod Ricard, who in 2014, had a turnover of €30 million only with Suze.
Today, Suze is made in a factory in Thuir, a French town and commune in the Eastern Pyrenees, Occitan region.
Now that you know the real history of Suze, make yourself a cocktail with it and enjoy the unique taste of this bitter. But above all, share the true story!
Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.