Bay City Roller (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I apologize for this closeup picture. My plan was to show my own label of Amer Picon, which I used in place of Amaro Averna in this cocktail. 

This simple drink is based on the Sazerac, but has no absinthe, so it should be palatable.  to most whisky drinkers. I've notice few whiskey fans who really like absinthe, and some absinthe fans admit that they would happily do without the whiskey. I would say that this cocktail will please just about anyone with refined taste, however. 

A note on the scotch selection: Compass Box Asyla is a blended whisky that is very delicate and smooth. It shouldn't slap you down with peat and smoke, though those things are present. I chose a mild scotch by Bowmore distillery as a fair stand-in.

• 2 oz. Compass Box Asyla scotch (McClelland's Islay used)
• 1/4 oz. Amaro Averna
• 1 tsp. simple syrup
• 1 orange twist

Stir all ingredients except twist with ice and strain into a double rocks glass. Garnish with the orange twist.

Blue Run Sling (Death & Co. Recipe)

This bittersweet Sling is a little less exotic than the Singapore Sling, keeping its ingredients more or less grounded in apple pie notes rather than citrus. And you don't see bourbon Slings everyday. I think of this as a fall cocktail for those who need to keep things on the light and refreshing side. And it's great: you don't feel bogged down with sweetness or pumpkin spice. 

I don't have Amaro Averna, but I know that it has a bitter orange peel flavor that I tried to replicate with a mix of Don Ciccio & Figili Ambrosia and my homemade Amer Picon (which has Ramazzotti with its orange flavors in it as well). The rest was made simply by combining ingredients and preparing the orange flag with the cherry target center. 

• 2 oz. bourbon
• 1/4 oz. Amaro Averna (Ambrosia and Amer Picon used)
• 3/4 oz. fuji apple juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. vanilla syrup
• 1 dash orange bitters (Hella used)
• 1 orange flag with cherry  and barrel-aged bitters dashed on it as garnish
  

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of ice cubes. Garnish with the orange flag and dash bitters on it.

 

La Vina (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

The inventor of this drink says they like to use an amaro in a Manhattan to surprise guests. I'm not so surprised by this as I am with the use of a rich sherry like East India Solera. The idea for this drink may have begun as a Manhattan variation, but it became a lower ABV cocktail when amaro and sherry make up two thirds of the ingredients. 

To make Amaro Nonino, I use half my homemade Amer Picon, which is really loaded with orange and herbal notes and half Ambrosia cordial from Don Ciccio & Figili. Together you get something approximating the bittersweet Nonino. 

I have the rest of the ingredients as they are specified in the recipe, however, and the final product is pretty and very nice either before or after dinner.

• 1 oz. rye (Catoctin Creek used)
• 1 oz. Amaro Nonino (1/2 oz. each Amer Picon and Apertivo used)
• 1 oz. Lustau East India Solera Sherry
• 1 dash orange bitters (Hella used)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled coupe. 

Manhattan Transfer (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

I'm still in a Manhattan mood and trying new variations of that classic, this time with rye, Ramazzotti and dry vermouth. It turns out that Ramazzotti is one of the ingredients in my homemade Amer Picon, which is mostly an infusion of oranges in MurLarkey Justice white whiskey. So I used Amer Picon to carry off the Ramazzotti flavor needed for the drink and inadvertently made a variation of the Brooklyn cocktail. 

I'm sure the Brooklyn was the inspiration for the Manhattan Transfer, but having no Amer Picon, they used Ramazzotti and the rest is history. 

• 1 1/2 oz. Catoctin Creek Distiller's Edition rye
• 1 oz. dry vermouth (Dolin used)
• 1 oz. Ramazzotti (homemade Amer Picon used)
• 1 dash orange bitters (Hella used)

 Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Looks Familiar (Difford's Guide Recipe)

 

There's something especially decadent about the spirits-forward tequila and amaro cocktail on a winter day. The way that spicy tequila mixes with bitters and bitter citrus Amer Picon should be better known among tequila afficianados. Add to that the smoke of Islay scotch and you have a cocktail fit for the menu of some of the best speakeasy-style bars. 

I've always considered tequila as as much a holiday spirit as sherry, rum, or whiskey, but just not used in a Margarita. You don't have to dispense with the agave syrup that you might use in some of the best tropical tequila drinks. Madhava agave syrup allows you to sweeten a cocktail in a way that respects tequila's agave plant origins. Unlike simple syrup, agave syrup is not just sweet: it has a mild herbal flavor and a richness that seems more refreshing in hot weather than a sugary drink does.

My take on this cocktail, is that it is flashy--on the palate--while looking like a whiskey cocktail. The drinker will be surprised that it is a tequila drink, and even after tasting it, will say "I don't usually like tequila, but this..." That's right: people don't like fake mixers. Amer Picon, Angostura bitters and agave syrup make it stand out on flavor when appearances are deceiving.

• 1/2 oz. Islay scotch (Laphroaig Select used)
• 2 oz. blanco tequila (Sauza 100% blue agave used)
• 1/2 oz. agave syrup (Madhava used)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/4 oz. Amer Picon
• orange twist

Coat the inside of a mixing glass with the Islay scotch. Then add ice,  tequila, agave syrup, bitters and Amer Picon in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Twist the orange zest over the glass and drop it in.

Beginning of the End (Difford's Guide)

 

This wonderfully balanced cocktail combines some of my favorite things: aged rum, sherry, sweet vermouth and Amer Picon. The rum might not be spiced, but the cocktail is with vermouth, amaro, and flamed orange peel--it makes for the perfect winter sipper.

One of the new ingredients on my bar is George Bowamn dark Caribbean rum from the Bowman Distillery in Fredricksburg, Virginia. This rum has a great small batch, island produced flavor that really works well with American colonial-style cocktails. Rum, sherry, a quinine spirit to ward off malaria--these ingredients, taken from all over the world, came together in America through colonial trade and make up the flavor profile of our nation's cocktail history.

This is a Difford's Guide recipe that plays on the Fin de Siecle, or "End of The World," a classic cocktail with similar proportions of ingredients but uses gin instead of aged rum. 

• 1 1/2 oz. aged dark rum (George Bowman used)
• 1/2 oz. Antica formula vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)  
• 1/3 oz. Amer Picon (homemade used)
• 1/3 oz. Oloroso sherry
• flamed orange peel garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. To flame the orange peel, cut a piece of orange zest. While holding a flame over the drink, squeeze the zest to release oils onto the flame to produce a flash and burnt orange oil fregrance. 

 

Bonaparte's Manhattan (Difford's Guide)

 

I figure the best way to follow Napoleon's Sidecar is with his Manhattan. Difford's guide says that it is Italian amaro that provides the bitterness, not dashes of bitters. I, however, feel that this drink is better served with a French bitter spirit, Amer Picon. Had Napoleon himself lived to meet G. Picon, a French army officer who used his spirit of north African oranges and quinine to cure his malaria, he would have found a fast friend. That is how I feel about my homemade Amer Picon and rye whiskey.

The key ingredient, though, is Mandarine Napoleon (also my homemade recipe) which brings sweet and citrus-forward notes of mandarin oranges and cognac. For a Manhattan, which this drink fully resembles, there are a lot of very French things happening: it's the perfect pairing with a Balzac novella. 

• 1 1/2 oz. rye (Rittenhouse used)
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/3 oz. Mandarine Napoleon (homemade used)
• 1/6 oz. Italian Amaro (1/4 oz. homemade Amer Picon used)
• maraschino cherry garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Drop the cherry in as garnish. 

Pig Roast Old Fashioned

 

When I first got this Smokehouse whiskey from MurLarkey distillery, I wanted to showcase it in a cocktail designed to play up the bacon savoriness of the whiskey. The first thing that came to mind was rimming the glass with bacon shot (a mix of sea salt, bacon, black pepper and celery seeds), which would really keep things on the savory side. But I was a little unsure of what to do next. Traditional Old Fashioned cocktails have sugar and bitters, but I felt like that would mean abandoning my plan for a savory cocktail.

Then it hit me while perusing my bar. Amer Picon has bitter notes of orange, like the orange twist you squeeze into an Old Fashioned. It also has sugar, but not in the way that you would notice. Finally, I made my Amer Picon using orange peel bitters extracted with MurLarkey Justice white whiskey, so the base of the Smokehouse and Picon would be essentially the same distillate. 

What a success! The orange notes are aligned with bitter orange zest, negating the need for bitters. The sweetness of the Amer Picon is unnoticable and does not detract from the savory flavors of the Smokehouse. Then the bacon rim matches the bacon in the whiskey. It's so good that you want every sip to sample a little of the bacon shot rim!

• 1 oz. MurLarkey Smokehouse whiskey
• 1 oz. Amer Picon (DIY Amer Picon used)
• bacon shot rim

To make the bacon shot, combine 1/2  tbsp. bacon bits, 1/2 tbsp. sea salt, 1 tsp. black pepper and 1/2 tsp. celery salt on a shallow dish. Wet the rim (or half the rim) of a chilled Old Fashioned glass with water or citrus juice and dip it in the dry mixture. Build the cocktail over ice in the glass and stir until it is chilled. 

Brittany (Homemade Shiedam Gin Version)

 

The Brittany celebrates the crossing of French aperitif Amer Picon with England's version of gin that is dry and heavily junipered.  Geographically, Brittany is on the north west coast of France, across from Britain on the English channel to its north. This cocktail swings the direction of the geography westward toward the Netherlands. 

The style of Shiedam gin is richer and less junipery than the English. The Dutch don't mind a little barrel aging and malt character getting into their gin. This is my third and most successful batch of Shiedam gin, and probably the most authentic. In each batch, I've lowered the juniper level a little bit and reduced the infusion time. Now I only do it for three days, after which I add about an oz. of Copper Fox single malt whiskey to add a touch of smoke and malt.

Here's the recipe to this delicious drink!

• 1 1/2 oz. Shiedam gin
• 1/2 oz. Amer Picon
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• orange peel garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange peel over the glass and drop it in. 

 

Picon Cocktail

Yet another Amer Picon Cocktil--this time it is with equal parts dry vermouth. I like that dry vermouth gets out of the way and lets you get a good gob of this French orange bitter spirit. The color is lovely, not muddy from sweet vermouth or citrus juice like other cocktails that bear the same name.

• 2 oz. Amer Picon (Homemade Amer Picon used)
• 2 oz. dry vermouth (Carpano dry used)

 Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Parisian Manhattan

I guess you can call a Manhattan a Parisian if you use any French liqueur, but then it might not taste like a Manhattan. It depends on the flavor of that several dashes of liqueur you choose. That is why I felt that this Manhattan Variation was especially adroit!

Amer Picon is essentially an orange bitters recipe. Yes, it is a little sweeter--easier to drink by itself--but since many Manhattan recipes call for orange bitters, Picon is really an easy way to slip something French into an American classic without really changing the overall profile.

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Seagram's Seven Crown used)
• several dashes Amer Picon
• maraschino cherry

Combine whiskey and Amer Picon in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry. 

Botofogo Cocktail

There must be an alternate universe out there where bitters are hard to find but you can walk into any liquor store and pick up a bottle of Amer Picon. In our world, Amer Picon has disappeared in the U.S.

That's the link between the Botofogo and a Manhattan. Amer Picon is a great substitute for orange bitters. It has a cola-like richness and tons of bitter orange flavor. My homemade Amer is made with Ramazzotti, orange peels, MurLarkey Justice white whiskey, and Royal Combier.

A Manhattan with orange bitters lightens up a Manhattan for spring drinking. Fortunately there are a half dozen commercially available kinds of orange bitters from Regans and Hella to Fee Bros. Bittermans. You can still make your own with the peels of six oranges and a cup of high proof neutral spirits. Let the peels soak for a month and strain out the solids. These bitters are cheap and never go bad. Once you have these, you are on the right track to making Amer Picon.

• 1 oz. blended whiskey (MurLarkey Heritage used)
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi Dopo Teatro used)
• several dashes Amer Picon

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Amer Picon Cooler

I love that this is even an idea: a Gin Fizz with cherry Heering and Amer Picon, bitter and sweet, is the perfect spring afternoon cocktail.

Amer Picon is still unavailable in the U.S. and even the version they make in France is not the same as it was when it was used in classic cocktails. This is my homemade recipe that tastes pretty close to what I had in Paris.

• 1 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Amer Picon
• 1/2 oz. cherry herring
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• club soda
• orange slice (optional)

Combine the first five ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Collins glass full of fresh ice. Top with soda and stir. (If you use an orange slice, cut it in half and put a notch on one end to allow you to stick it on the glass rim. I used a blood orange!)

Picon Orange

I'm always looking for ways to enjoy Amer Picon and have a good time with my homemade French spirits. This simple cocktail is similar to an Aperol Spritz or Americano, just more French.

• 2 oz. Amer Picon
• 2 oz. orange juice
• club soda

Combine Amer Picon and juice in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake and pour into a chilled double Old Fashioned glass. Top with soda and stir gently. 

Picon Sour

You can make a Sour out of just about any liqueur or spirit, but you can't do it with Picon unless you get it from France or make it yourself. Since I knocked off the recipe last year, I've been enjoying this classic bitter spirit in just about any way I can mix it.

Amari (or Amer in French) are very trendy right now. Anyone who is on board with the trend probably has tried making Sours with them. And they are far more interesting than whiskey. Amer Picon has a rich citrus flavor--this bottle has two dozen orange peels in it. I like using the traditional Sour glass over serving it on the rocks.

• 1 1/2 oz. Amer Picon (homemade version used)
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar syrup
• lemon slice and maraschino cherry garnish

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Sour glass and garnish with fruit.

(DIY) Amer Picon

I've done it! Finally, I have my own Amer Picon knock off. I got the recipe from PUNCH, which was easy except that finding Combier is pretty difficult depending on where you live. But that is all easier to get than Amer Picon--a bitter orange liqueur that hasn't been available in the U.S. for decades. Even the varieties available in France are no longer the same bitter boozy product that Amer Picon once was.

It all started with picking up a bottle of Ramzzotti amaro. I'd seen Combier on bar shelves in the past and figured that the other ingredient wouldn't be too hard to find. As it turns out, Elixir Combier (which may or may not be the ingredient listed in the PUNCH recipe) is not available in the Washingtion, Virginia, Maryland region. Elixir Combier is a biter French orange liqueur with spices from the Mediterranean like myrrh. It turns out that I could find Royal Combier, the same liqueur with cognac added so that it is a competitor to Grand Marnier. This, I assumed, would be a suitable substitute.

The small jar on the right of the photo is orange bitters. I made these using MurLarkey Justice White Whiskey--a version that is 110-proof so that it makes infusions better.



I takes 2 cups of Ramazzotti and one cup each of Combier and orange bitters. Add 1/4 cup of orange peels (I used bitter cara cara orange peels) and let the mixture steep for a week in the refrigerator. For my bottle, I used an old scotch bottle and printed one of the many images of this long-lost spirit

Picon

Amer Picon is an extinct liqueur. I was able to re-create it as best as I know how with one of the remaining Picon liqueurs known as Picon Biere. It is sweeter and not as strong, so I used only a quarter portion of this orange bitter liqueur for the total amount of Amer Picon called for in this very old drink.

So 1/2 oz. of Picon Biere, 1/2 oz. Amaro Meletti and a whole ounce of 100-proof vodka sufficed to make a bitter orange liqueur with the potency of the original Amer Picon. It's the closest thing I can come to an original that I've never had a chance to try.

• 2 oz. Amer Picon (See substitute above)
• 2 oz. sweet vermouth

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Fin de Siecle

The name implies that it is the End of The World! But it's just another bitter orange cocktail with Amer Picon. I used Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, which made this drink rival the best Manhattans while using a sub-standard gin. In that sense it might just be the end of the world, or just a beginning.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica used)
• 1/4 oz. Amer Picon (Picon Biere used)
• 1 dash orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Brittany

The name refers to the northern region of France, and an easy combination of London dry gin and French orange liqueur. The Brittany is fruity and bitter with a lot of orange zest flavor. It's a great before dinner drink. Here Picon Biere is used instead of Amer Picon which is impossible to find now. It is sweeter and less bitter. It's also less alcoholic, but it makes for a fine additive all the same.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. orange juice
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. Amer Picon (Picon Biere used)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar syrup
• orange twist

Combine all ingredients except orange twist in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange twist.

Picon Fizz

Ok, so this is what I get for mixing with Picon Biere instead of the original Amer Picon. The two are not the same. For one thing, the Biere is a sweeter liqueur and not the high-proof and hard to find Amer Picon. Picon Biere is also intended to be added to beer to change the character of those boring light lagers. I'll probably do this at some point, but I was curious how a Picon Biere Fizz would turn out.

As it does turn out, I recommend against doing it. It is really dark, in flavor and color, and with a lot of root beer bitterness. There's quinine too, so it is like having a black tonic water without the gin. So kind of a sugary and watery blah.

I should learn from this experience, but you can bet I will try another similar cocktail in the coming days just to say I did it...again.

• 2 oz. Amer Picon
• 1/2 oz. grenadine
• 1/2 oz. brandy
• club soda

Build drink in a highball glass with ice and stir. Top with club soda.