Génépi: Difference between revisions

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== Commercial génépi ==
There have been a number of famous liqueurs that resembled génépi or shared significant ingredients with it. The most famous, created in the early 1700s by [[Carthusian]] monks in the mountains beyond [[Grenoble]], is [[Chartreuse (liqueur)|Chartreuse]]. The worldwide product as we know it today (through brands such as ''Grande Chartreuse'' and ''A.T.C. Chartreuse'') is considerably more complex than traditional génépi. On the other extreme, small producers throughout the French region of Savoy and the Italian region of Val d'Aosta have occasionally bottled and made available their individual local products, and many restaurateurs in those regions produce and sell their own.
 
Widely available varieties include ''Amaro centerbe'' (30% vol.), ''Alpestre'' (38% vol.), ''Millefiori'' (38% vol.), ''Trisulti brandy'' (45% vol) and '' Vegetale'' (38% vol.). Other génépi brands include ''Fiori Alpini'' and ''Alpenkraeuter''. ''Génépi des Alpes'' purports to be based only on the wormwood colloquially known as "mutellina" (today known botanically as [[Artemisia umbelliformis|''A. umbelliformis'']]). Another elixir, ''Barathier'', represents itself as being composed of seven herbs and flowers, although none are identified.
 
A génépi-like product called ''Izarra (Star)'' is typical of [[Bayonne]] in the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]] along the border of France and Spain. Representative of the far western edge of the génépi tradition, it is available in both green and yellow versions.
 
For the most part, there are myriad brands of the liqueur available, many simply labeled "génépi", though sometimes accompanied by the legend "Fleurs des Alpes". The drink continues to evolve, though. Bernard & C., a firm based in [[Val Germanasca]] in the middle of the Alps, is producing ''Génépi blanc'', the first commercial génépi that is colourless rather than yellow or green. It is supposed to be based only on the "spicata" variety of wormwood (today classified as ''[[Artemisia genipi]]''). In 2000, a liqueur branded as ''Génépi des Pères Chartreux'' premiered, based on neutral spirits instead of the nearly universal "eau-de-vie". The goal is to provide a "cleaner" drinking experience, but opinions differ as to whether the difference is even perceptible.
 
The traditional génépi from the [[Province of Cuneo]] has been selected by the Italian [[Slow Food]] Foundation as an [[Ark of Taste]] product.<ref>Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity: ''[http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/eng/arca/dettaglio.lasso?cod=1071&prs=0 Traditional Genepy from the Cuneo valleys]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}''</ref>