Ingredients
Génépy is Artemisia — several high-altitude alpine wormwood species, most often Artemisia genipi and umbelliformis — infused whole, sometimes with a sprig left in the bottle. Alpine amari built around it add gentian, mint and mountain herbs.
- ✦Artemisia genipi
- ✦Artemisia umbelliformis
- ✦Gentian root
- ✦Alpine mint
- ✦Chamomile
- ✦Wild thyme
History of the Brand
Génépy grows in rock crevices above two thousand metres in the Western Alps, and picking it was for centuries a rite of alpine households on both sides of the Italian-French border.
Families made génépy at home by steeping forty flowers in forty grams of sugar for forty days — the 'rule of forty' still quoted in the Aosta Valley.
Wild harvesting is now restricted to protect the plant, so most commercial génépy uses cultivated flowers grown at altitude.
The style sits beside Braulio and other alpine amari as the mountain answer to Italy's southern, orange-and-caramel bitters.
Tasting Characteristics
Hay, chamomile, wild herbs and a cool alpine mint.
Dry herbal sweetness, gentle anise, thyme and a chalky gentian bitterness.
Clean, cooling and dry, with lingering wormwood.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Neat and cold after a mountain meal — the classic Aosta serve.
- 02In place of green Chartreuse in a Last Word for a lighter drink.
- 03With tonic and a lemon twist.
- 04A splash in hot tea, alpine refuge style.
- 05Alongside Braulio in a tasting flight of alpine bitters.
Where to Get It
Small production and many labels. Dolin's génépy is the most widely exported; Italian bottlings from the Aosta Valley are best bought locally.
Specialty bottle shops
Shelved with Chartreuse and alpine liqueurs rather than amaro.
Online spirits retailers
Search 'génépy' and 'genepi' — both spellings are used.
Aosta Valley
Every mountain village shop sells a local version; buy there if you visit.
Affiliate buying links coming soon.
Génépy / Amaro Alpino FAQ
What is génépy?
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An alpine herbal liqueur made by infusing high-altitude Artemisia wormwood flowers, traditionally produced in the Aosta Valley, Piedmont and the Savoy Alps at 30–40% ABV.
What is the rule of forty?
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The traditional home recipe: forty génépy flowers, forty grams of sugar, forty days of maceration in alcohol.
How does génépy compare to Chartreuse?
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Génépy is lighter, drier and more single-mindedly herbal; Chartreuse is denser, sweeter and built from far more botanicals.
Is génépy the same as Braulio?
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No, but they are cousins. Braulio is a barrel-rested alpine amaro from Bormio; génépy is an unaged liqueur built almost entirely around alpine wormwood flowers.
How do you drink génépy?
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Cold and neat after a heavy mountain meal, with tonic, splashed into hot tea, or in place of Chartreuse in cocktails like the Last Word.