Day La Vie

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (103 ratings)

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
23 oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
23 oz Gentian liqueur (e.g. Suze, Salers etc)
13 oz Bourbon whiskey
23 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Garnish: Orange zest twist

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and fine strain into ice-filled glass (preferably a chunk of block ice).

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

Juan Meyer's original recipe calls for equal parts: Redemption rye whiskey, Suze, Amaro de Montenegro, and lemon juice. It's very tasty but I couldn't resist switching and blending whiskies and proportions. Both versions create a bittersweet, aperitif-style cocktail.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2017 by Juan Meyer, Norwalk, United States. He told us, "I love Paper Planes, it's my go-to cocktail at any restaurant at any time of day. I also love Suze with its earthy undertones that complement the gentian liqueur, so this is my combination of both."

Nutrition:

One serving of Day La Vie contains 183 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 18.69% alc./vol. (18.69° proof)
  • 18.7 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Garth Stanish’s Avatar Garth Stanish
27th March at 05:03
As other commentators noted, a really interesting mix of bitter and sour but with some depth from the Montenegro and bourbon…. It’s also a lovely colour; perfect for a NZ autumn
Avery Garnett’s Avatar Avery Garnett
27th May 2023 at 16:04
I'm always hesitant with recipes with Suze in because on its own -- to me -- it's so bitter that it feels like it'll completely take over everything. Not here - it's definitely a Suze cocktail but it's perfectly balanced.
Rick Stark’s Avatar Rick Stark
22nd April 2023 at 23:49
Original recipe is quite good, my wife and I are big fans of Tequila and Mezcal. Try Blanco Tequila instead of Rye and Mescal instead of Bourbon. You won't be disappointed.
James  Burnett’s Avatar James Burnett
26th November 2022 at 00:35
Made as written, loved balance of bitter and sour. Big Suze fan, so it speaks to me
Luca Viviani’s Avatar Luca Viviani
9th September 2022 at 17:00
I tried the original, equal parts version first and found it a bit too sour. Will try again reducing the gentian and the lemon as suggested by Simon
Luca Viviani’s Avatar Luca Viviani
11th September 2022 at 09:06
I definitely liked the "revised" version (3 whiskey, 3 amaro, 2 gentian, 2 lemon) better. An interesting cocktail, where you can play with different amari to find the one that works best for you. I wouldn't do it again for aperitivo though, I will use it as an after-dinner
Nathan Anderson’s Avatar Nathan Anderson
21st February 2021 at 05:09
Perhaps I’m a boozy philistine, but I find the original, less “approachable” beverage recipe to be more enjoyable.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
25th February 2021 at 21:35
Thanks Nathan. Just tried again and found better with a splash of rye so I've amended the recipe accordingly. Hope Juan approves.