The Ranger > wrote:

>Steve Pope > wrote in message

>> At a restaurant recently I had a glass of Gentiane, something
>> I've never tried before. It was interesting and unusual
>> and I can't really decribe it. This gentiane was clear,
>> in the manner of an eau-de-vie.

>> Unfortunately I don't know which manufacturer this particular
>> pour came from.

>I just searched Beltramo's site and then Bevmo's with no hits
>(not that they're complete on all-things-alcoholic). I then
>plugged in the word to Yahoo! and came up with
>http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiane.

>Could it have been a digestif?

It was in the style of an eau-de-vie, and was listed with
other eaux-de-vie on the drinks menu. I usually think of digestifs
as lower alcohol, colored rather than clear, and made from
a mix of ingredients.

This was in London (at Arbutus, a fine restaraurant incidentally).

It would not surprise me if the stuff is unavailable in
the U.S., or possibly even banned like absinthe once was.

Steve