Cocktails with Amer Picon
Amer Picon is a French bitter orange aperitif, the key ingredient in the Picon Punch and the original Brooklyn. It is easy to find in France and Belgium but not sold in the US, where bartenders use amers such as Bigallet China-China, Ferino Amer or Amaro CioCiaro instead.
No Amer Picon? What to use instead
- Type
- Liqueur
- Strength
- 18% ABV
- Aroma
- Bitter orange peel, Caramel, Gentian
- Taste
- Bittersweet orange, Quinine, Caramel, Syrupy
- Finish
- Medium, Orange zest, Bitter
2 drinks with Amer Picon
History
Gaëtan Picon created it in 1837 in French Algeria as a tonic for soldiers, then opened a factory in Marseille in 1872. It became a popular café drink in France, often mixed into beer, and travelled with Basque immigrants to the American West, where the Picon Punch became a Basque-American tradition.
How it’s made
Dried orange peel is macerated in alcohol and distilled, then combined with gentian and cinchona (quinine bark), sweetened with sugar syrup and coloured with caramel. The strength has been lowered over the years; today's Picon is around 18%, well below the version classic recipes were written for.
Bottles to try
Picon ClubBudget
The Picon made for aperitifs and cocktails, bitter orange with a quinine edge.
Picon BièreBudget
The same bitter orange style, sold for mixing into beer in the French way.
Bigallet China-China AmerMid-range
A stronger French amer from the Alps, rich in bitter orange; a popular Picon stand-in.
Bigallet China-China AmerMid-range
The closest French-style amer sold in the US; stronger than Picon, so use a little less.
Ferino AmerMid-range
Made in Reno from the recipe Torani used for its Amer, the traditional choice for Nevada's Picon Punch.
Paolucci Amaro CioCiaroMid-range
An Italian amaro with bitter orange and cola notes, widely used in the US in place of Picon.
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