Unfortunately this go around I am featuring a cocktail which includes the highly sought after but not imported into the United States Amer Picon. Amer Picon is a bitter orange apertif not unlike Italian Amaros. I was able to have a friend bring me back a bottle from France but was devastated to learn that the new bottles of Picon only contain about half of the alcohol as the original bottling referenced in vintage cocktail books and manuals.
There are two solutions to this problem though neither is perfect. First you could make your own using the recipe created by world famous bartender and molecular mixologist Jamie Boudreau which those who have had the original say is a fairly close replica (the problem is that this requires both time and a couple of ingredients which may not be easy to procure outside of a metropolitan area) or you can order Torani Amer which is bottled at the same 78% proof that Amer Picon used to be (the problem here is that several respected cocktailians claim it really doesn’t taste like the original Amer Picon.)
If you become interested in cocktail history and culture you will find a lot of old recipes that call for Picon so you’ll have to choose one of these methods to suit your means so that you’ll be able to reproduce drinks like The Brooklyn.
Even though The Brooklyn has never become as famous as The Manhattan or even the Bronx for that matter I think that is a delightful drink that really shows off how well bitter orange flavoring goes with rye whiskey. Served up in a chilled antique champagne coupe, The Brooklyn is an elegant cocktail that is sure to impress friends and a nice way to introduce others to Amer Picon and as well as other bitter orange liqueurs.
The Brooklyn
1 1/2 oz rye whiskey (if you can get Rittenhouse Bonded use it)
1/2 oz dry vermouth (Noilly Prat is my house brand)
1/4 oz Amer Picon (if you are unable to reproduce or buy Torani Amer use a good Italian Amaro instead, Ramzotti, Averna, Cora etc)
1/4 oz maraschino liqueur (Luxardo is the standard)
Stir with plenty of cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Filed under: Booze Tagged: | Amaro, Amer Picon, Bar Tender, Bitter Orange, France, Jamie Bourdreau, The Bronx, The Brooklyn, the Manhattan, Torani Amer
