LIQUEURS The Génépy of the Aosta Valley

The Liquor of Tradition: the Génépy at Emy’s

In the Aosta Valley, people have been making the so-called “Génépy,” the region’s typical liqueur, for several generations. Here in Emy‘s version.

This is a very tasty liqueur made from alcohol and dried inflorescences of génépy, a seedling that grows high in the mountains.

Emilia Berthod, a producer of Tascapan from Valle d’Aosta, has been making this liqueur for several years, cultivating her seedlings with great passion, which she then employs in the production of the distillates.

How do you make homemade Génépy da Emy Classic?

By purchasing the “Génépy Fai Da Te” box, you will have the opportunity to produce the typical Aosta Valley liqueur directly at home.

But do you think about it? At the end of meals, you can serve your friends a distillate made with your own hands!

This is all thanks to the secret recipe of traditional Valdostana, which Emilia inherited from her ancestors and now generously offers you inside the box.

The instructions are very simple: follow them to the letter and you will get your own wonderful liquor, made with your own hands, at home.

Here’s what you need to do:

First you will need to macerate the dried génépy seedlings you will find inside the box in 1 liter of alcohol.

In the package you will be given a glass jar with an airtight seal, and it is in there that you should let your brewing liquor sit for about a month.

During this time, the alcohol will have acquired an aromatic flavor and will also have changed its color from transparent to light green.

At this point, you will need to boil 1 liter of water on the stove, where, at a later time, you will go to melt it:

• 500 g sugar, if you want to make a rather dry liqueur;
• 750 g sugar, if you want a sweeter liqueur instead.

You will then have to let the sugar-water solution cool and add the infusion with the génépy seedlings to it.

Finally, strain and bottle the liquor inside the glass jar.

How do you make homemade Génépy da Emy Bianco?

Now, you should know that there is a variant of the classic typical Aosta Valley liqueur.

In fact, in the “Do-It-Yourself Génépy” box we will also give you the recipe for making the so-called white Génépy in suspension.

This is a colorless, very little-known liquor that is always obtained from the dried seedlings of génépy.

However, the process is not the same, and the type of liquor you get will also be different.

Let’s see how it is prepared and what the differences are:

White Génépy is made through a technique other than the traditional infusion technique, which involves steeping aromatic génépy seedlings in pure alcohol.

This type of liqueur is made through the principle of self-distillation: the dried génépy plants are wrapped in cloth and left in suspension right on top of the alcohol, without any infusion or contact.

In about two months a spectacular thing happens: alcohol vapors rising upward and dried hanging seedlings meet.

At this point, the aromatic génépy begins to release its strong essence, aromas and intense taste to the alcohol, but without coloring the latter.

And so, with a little patience, you get a variation of this tasty liqueur, which we are sure will be able to impress all your diners.

Here are the ingredients for making homemade Génépy:

You will need:

water

alcohol

sugar

dried inflorescences of Artemisia Umbelliformis