Génépi

Génépi is the mountain liqueur par excellence, the one served as a digestif at the end of a Savoyard meal. A pale yellow to green liqueur, bitter and aromatic, made from a small high-altitude plant. It is as much a product as a tradition: many mountain families have their recipe and make it at home.

The plant, a high-mountain wormwood

Génépi is first a plant, or rather several. They are wormwoods of the Artemisia genus, which grow in the high mountains, often above 2,000 metres, in the rocks and scree. The most used are black génépi (Artemisia spicata) and yellow génépi (Artemisia mutellina). These plants concentrate intense aromas and a characteristic bitterness, which give the liqueur its taste. Picking is regulated to protect the species, which grows slowly and in small quantity.

The recipe of 40

The traditional génépi recipe comes down to an easy formula to remember: forty sprigs, forty sugars, forty days. You macerate 40 sprigs of flowering génépi in a litre of 40-proof alcohol, for 40 days, with 40 sugar cubes. After the 40 days, you remove the sprigs to avoid excessive bitterness, especially if the alcohol was strong, you filter, and you adjust with a sugar syrup. Once bottled, it is better to let the liqueur rest at least a month so the aromas meld.

Some prefer to start from a strong neutral alcohol cut with water rather than an alcohol already at 40 proof, to better control the bitterness. The recipe is passed down and debated, and everyone adjusts the sugar to taste.

Drinking it

Génépi is drunk as a digestif, chilled or at room temperature, in small quantity. Its bitterness helps end a rich meal, after a fondue, a raclette or a tartiflette. It is sometimes also served as a long drink or in a cocktail, but the tradition stays the small neat glass. It is a strong liqueur, to drink in moderation.

Where to find it

Artisanal génépi is found at local producers, in mountain distilleries and at markets, all over Haute-Savoie. Beware of overly sweet industrial versions: a good génépi keeps the plant’s bitterness. To place this liqueur among the terroir products, see the Savoyard specialities page. You find it easily in the resorts and villages, for example around Chamonix and in the Mont-Blanc area.