Amer Picon & Torani Amer

[marty mccabe]

If you live in the greater Boston area, a number of stores have it. Apparently, a stash was found at the distributor: Brix Wine Shop and Martignetti's come to mind.

That might be why bostonapothecary has some...

[Chris Amirault]

After reading this topic a few times, I developed a desire to find Amer Picon somewhere, even if it was doomed to be a shadow of its former self. I also have done a bit of reading elsewhere, including this entry on Amer Picon at cocktaildb.com:

Unfortunately, from the 1970s to present, the House of Picon has lowered the proof of their product repeatedly, creating a situation where traditional recipes calling for it (such as the Picon Punch which was created with the original 78 proof product in mind) did not taste the same. Picon's current iteration has an alcohol content of less than half of the original product.

So when I headed up to Federal Hill to visit Mark Gasbarro at Gasbarro's Wines looking for Aperol and Punt e Mes (found 'em), little did I know what else I'd find:

Yes, that's an ATF label, which means that the bottle dates from before 1979. Sure enough:

Did I say "bottle"? Actually, I bought both of the only two that were on the shelf. Each cost $13.99.

I'm a bit giddy about it, frankly. I don't know what exactly I should or shouldn't do, as I don't want to scream through it. I've definitely had a few Wayne's World-ish "I'm not worthy"s in my brain. I'm thinking to start with a Brooklyn Cocktail, of course, but from there....

Thoughts?

[johnder]

uh

no fair

[Chris Amirault]

I can't disagree.

[johnder]

Brooklyn's are a good start. The liberal cocktail from Zig Zag is another good one: Rye, Picon, Sweet vermouth and orange bitters, as well as the Bushwick from Phil Ward of Death and Company: Rye, Carpano, Picon and Maraschino.

[weinoo]

Way cool - I'd drink any of John's suggestions - and have!

[Chris Amirault]

It would seem that turning back to the Savoy, Patrick Gavin Duffy, et al would be the thing to do, so as to get the benefit of pre-1978 ratios. Yes? No?

And save Wondrich, do others have old bottles of this stuff?

[eje]

Crap!

So those bottles were there at Gasbarro's when I was there 2 years ago?

Sigh.

I suggest, from the Savoy Cocktail Book:

Creole Cocktail

1/2 Rye or Canadian Club Whisky.

1/2 Italian Vermouth.

2 Dashes Benedictine.

2 Dashes Amer Picon.

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel on top.

Yeah, ignore Canadians and use a decent vermouth.

Please take a picture and post when we get to the Creole Cocktail the Savoy topic.

[JAZ]

Damn you, Chris!

If I were you, I'd immediately make a Picon Punch, but that's because I used to drink them occasionally at my old neighborhood bar, which had a stash of the old stuff (little did I know at the time how rare it was).

Coat a collins glass with grenadine, fill with ice. Add a couple ounces of Picon and top with soda. Float a little brandy on top and serve with a lemon twist.

[bostonapothecary]

Damn you, Chris!

If I were you, I'd immediately make a Picon Punch, but that's because I used to drink them occasionally at my old neighborhood bar, which had a stash of the old stuff (little did I know at the time how rare it was).

Coat a collins glass with grenadine, fill with ice. Add a couple ounces of Picon and top with soda. Float a little brandy on top and serve with a lemon twist.

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don't do anything until next years tour de france or you will jinx us all....

root for euskaltel euskadi, drink picon, and be merry.... next year we will take the yellow jersey....

[scratchline]

This is an old tax-strip bottle (4/5 qt.) of the 78 proof Picon. We found it in a dusty liquor store in California, and brought it to its current happy home in NYC. Wish we had more...

Mike & Jenny

[eas]

my bottle is much the same as the one in the immediate prior post. the taste is definately different than the current picon

[TBoner]

Found some current (actually, early 1990s) Picon today here in TX. $10/L. I bought it, even if it is only 42 proof. It'll give me at least some point of reference when my replica recipe of the old stuff is finished.

I tried a Brooklyn today with Overholt, Vya dry, Luxardo, and the Picon. Very good drink, and I can't wait for the replica to be ready. Alas, two more months!

[Chris Amirault]

I had a little something to celebrate tonight, so I decided that it was time to break out the Amer Picon and a back-of-the-cabinet bottle I hadn't used in a cocktail before.

Liberal Cocktail from cocktaildb:

• 1 1/2 oz rye (Sazerac 18 Years Old 2006)
  1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)
  1/4 oz Amer Picon
  1 dash orange bitters (Regans' Orange Bitters No 6)
  orange twist
  

Splendid.

[bostonapothecary]

Liberal Cocktail from cocktaildb:

• 1 1/2 oz rye (Sazerac 18 Years Old 2006)
  1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)
  1/4 oz Amer Picon
  1 dash orange bitters (Regans' Orange Bitters No 6)
  orange twist
  

Splendid.

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i have had that drink and it is delicious... i am wondering if the sugar contents on the amer picon changed at all when the proofs changed... maybe someone with an old bottle and a refractometer can help us out...?

[KatieLoeb]

Chris:

You suck. I'm beyond envious. That looks delicious.

Amer Torani is coming to PA in two weeks. I can hardly wait. There have been some clandestine trades of not-on-the-shelves liquors and aperitifs of late amongst the Philly bartending cognoscenti. I swapped a small bottle of Aperol for some "suitcase import" Amer Torani about a week ago. I should have some time to play with it at home tomorrow evening. Looks like a Brooklyn in my near future...

Edited September 4, 2007 by KatieLoeb (log)

[Chris Amirault]

I wanted to try something a bit less complicated, and snooping around cocktaildb I found The New Deal Cocktail #2, a built cocktail with a 3:1 bourbon or rye to Amer Picon ratio, sugar, and an orange peel. Sticking more or less to those ratios, I put together this (Not So) New Deal Cocktail #2b:

1 1/2 oz rye (Rittenhouse 100)

1/2 oz Amer Picon

scant 1/2 oz demerara simple syrup

dash orange bitters (Fee's for the nose; I'm out of oranges)

Stir, strain.

It's really wonderful; getting the Punt e Mes out of the way helps bring out the Amer Picon. It's making me think also that a scotch-based drink might be intriguing, a version of The Bairn with AP instead of orange bitters....

[eje]

Adapting Jamie Boudreau's Amer Picon recipe...

7 oz vodka

1 orange

10 oz Ramzzotti Amaro

2 oz Stirring's Blood Orange Bitters

1 drop orange oil

Microplane the zest of 1 orange into the vodka. Let stand a few minutes. Filter through 4 layers of cheese cloth into a clean bottle, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.

Pour Ramzotti Amaro through cheese cloth and orange zest, again squeezing out as much liquid as possible.

Add Blood Orange bitters and orange oil.

Mix.

I like it better than the Torani Amer. It seems to have more spice notes and be a bit more complex than the modern Amer Picon that I've tasted recently.

Make Creole Cocktail (above).

Juice orange and drink juice for Vitamin C or make 4 Bronx cocktails.

[weinoo]

I had a little something to celebrate tonight, so I decided that it was time to break out the Amer Picon and a back-of-the-cabinet bottle I hadn't used in a cocktail before.

Liberal Cocktail from cocktaildb:

• 1 1/2 oz rye (Sazerac 18 Years Old 2006)
  1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)
  1/4 oz Amer Picon
  1 dash orange bitters (Regans' Orange Bitters No 6)
  orange twist
  

Splendid.

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Nice looking drink, Chris!

[eje]

It was interesting to me to try the Creole cocktail and Liberal side by side with the same ingredients.

I actually preferred the slightly simpler Liberal to the busier Creole.

Though, oops, it looks like I screwed up the proportions of the Liberal slightly...

1 1/2 oz Sazerac Straight Rye

3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth

1/4 oz homemade Amer Picon

dash regan's orange bitters

stir, strain...

[David Santucci]

Anybody else follow Splificator's advice and try Amaro Ciociaro as an Amer Picon substitute? I picked up a bottle and have really enjoyed all the recipes I've tried (Brooklyn, Picon Punch, Liberal), but I've never had the real thing. Or the current version. Or the replica. Would be curious about other people's impressions.

[bostonapothecary]

Anybody else follow Splificator's advice and try Amaro Ciociaro as an Amer Picon substitute? I picked up a bottle and have really enjoyed all the recipes I've tried (Brooklyn, Picon Punch, Liberal), but I've never had the real thing. Or the current version. Or the replica. Would be curious about other people's impressions.

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wow, never heard of it... will look out for it. i like me a good amaro. my collection has grown quite large.

a life spent looking for perfect blossoms is not a wasted life.

[TBoner]

Never had that amaro, but I've certainly looked around here. I have a replica recipe going and snagged a liter of the current stuff a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to have some of the original to taste, but I doubt much of it ever made it to TX, let alone survived this long.

[David Santucci]

wow, never heard of it...

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Here is Splificator's post on the subject.

Here is a picture of the bottle.

[eje]

I have yet to find the Amaro Ciociaro in Northern California.

The fine folks at LeNell's tell me they're hoping to have it back in stock next week.