Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
All in Drink like the Swiss
The milky green Suissesse is creamy and refreshing and makes an excellent brunch drink (or hair of the dog).
Swap out Campari for Appenzeller Alpenbitter for a twist on this classic cocktail.
It was Oeil de Perdrix that led to the most profound and polemic wine revolution in the United States...
This cocktail uses two quintessentially Swiss drinks: Rivella, Switzerland's milk based soda pop, and Graübunden's favourite spirit, Röteli.
High on a Walliser mountain is the tiny community of Mund, who harvest no more than five kilos per year. Saffron grows from crocus flowers, each bloom yielding only three thin scarlet threads. It takes over a hundred flowers to make a single gram, which can cost upwards of 30 francs.
The saying goes that you should be able to read a newspaper (or see a coin) through the liquid, otherwise the coffee is too strong, or not enough booze has been added.
It's the fountain of youth in monkey form!
The name of this 1920s cocktail refers to the practice of grafting monkey testicles onto human testicles. For rejuvenation!
Hugo was the invention of a beardy, south Tirolean barkeep vagabond who mixed together Zitronenmelissensirup (lemon balm syrup), Prosecco, mint, and a spritz of soda water, thought up a name off the top of his head, and served it to regulars at his bar in Naturns in 2005.
Holunderblütensirup (elderflower syrup) is a syrup of many uses. In Switzerland it is added with abandon to sparking water, wine or cocktails (Hugo) for a light and floral summery taste.
The white wine version of traditional red Glühwein, heavy on the citrus.
According to the Oxford Companion to Beer, in 1890 there were 500 domestic breweries in Switzerland. By 1998, there were only about 24 breweries left.
So what happened?
The market stalls in Bern are filled with late autumn fruit and the plums are holding court. If Zwetschgen is King, then his Queen is the tiny golden Mirabelle.
I've set my mirabelles to soak, using gin as my boozy base, and in a few weeks' time, there'll be boozy fruit for spooning over ice cream, as well as mirabelle infused gin, perfect for cocktails.
