Pikina Apertif from the Amer Picon Folks

[Chris Amirault]

I stopped at a local liquor store today and found a bottle of Pikina, an apertif made, I believe, by the same people who make Amer Picon. The bottle's old, the label is all in French, and I can't find anything on the web.

So.... Ideas?

[eje]

From the name it sounds like their attempt at making a Quinquina.

Is it white or red? Wine or spirit base?

[mkayahara]

If you can copy out or photograph the French label, I can tell you what is says.

[gethin]

If you can copy out or photograph the French label, I can tell you what is says.

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Pikina- Aperitif aux Vins de France - was indeed Picon et Cie's Quinquina - I'm pretty sure its long out of production.

Pikina (and Amer Picon) advertising stuff (particularly paper fans, which seem to have been a favorite freebie among French gentian and quinquina makers) crop up regularly on the French and the Belgian e-bay sites, so a search on those sites is likely to throw up some images of old bottles that you can compare your find with.

Gethin

Edited April 3, 2008 by gethin (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Haven't opened it yet, but here's a photo:

I've got that it's made from wines and I should drink it cold. If anyone knows how to tell how old it is, I'd be much obliged. Ideas about cocktails are also welcome.

[gethin]

Possibly of more literary than cocktilian interest , but I came accross this quote from a Torgny Lindgren novel (in the French translation "Paula ou l'eloge de la verite"- i'm not familiar enough with his work to be able to identify its original , presumably Swedish, title:

"Là, il m'apprit à préparer le cocktail nommé Für Immer Seelig et qu'Emil Nolde avait un jour inventé. Ce fut la seule oeuvre d'un expressionniste allemand qu'il me montra. Deux parts de bière brune, une part de gin, une part de vermouth doux, une part de pikina, une pincée de sel et quelques gouttes de tabasco. Et je retrouvais ma voix."

(Then, he showed me how to make the cocktail called Fur Immer Seelig, which Emile Nolde had one day invented. It was the only work by a German expressionist that he showed me. Two parts dark beer , one part gin,one part sweet vermouth , one part pikina, a pinch of salt and a few drops of tabasco. And I found my voice again.).

Is anyone familiar with the novel and able to identify the character speaking ? what had caused him/her to lose her voice ? Was the drink really invented by Nolde ?

I assume seelig is a misspelling of selig and the coctkails name carries both the meaning of "peace forever" and "for ever tipsy" .

Gethin

Edited April 11, 2008 by gethin (log)