Gentiane Bonal Cup

Gentiane Bonal lithographed small dish

10cm diameter, circa 1920

French aperitif based on aromatized wine (mistelle), created in 1865 in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (Isère), at the foot of the Chartreuse mountains. 

Brand description

It is a quinquina / gentian (category of fortified and aromatized wines) with an alcohol content of approximately 16% vol..

The recipe is based on:

•  a base of mistelle (partially fermented grape must, fortified with alcohol);

•  an infusion of yellow gentian root;

•  cinchona bark (source of quinine);

•  and a blend of plants and herbs from the Grande Chartreuse mountains.

The taste is spicy, earthy, and bittersweet (bitterness from gentian and quinine, notes of prunes, raisins, cherry, licorice, and alpine herbs). It is traditionally nicknamed “ouvre l’appétit” (the key to appetite). It is consumed neat (often with a lemon zest), in cocktails (as a substitute for sweet vermouth, with whiskey, cider, sparkling wine...), or as a digestif.