Picon Biere

classic cocktail

Sep 30

I’m toasting the Dual Dial with a “duo” drink that’s perfect for the end of summer, start of autumn vibe we have happening here in the northern hemisphere of the world. A duo cocktail is really any drink with two ingredients, a simple formula which can take on many forms. Most often this is found as a base spirit with a modifier, such as a rye whiskey with sweet vermouth, a drink more commonly known as a Manhattan. Well known duos include the Rusty Nail (scotch and Drambuie), the Godfather (scotch and amaretto) and the martini (gin and dry vermouth). Duos are so easy to make (and thus so popular). The modifier doesn’t even need to be another spirit. Cuba Libre anyone? (That’s a rum and coke.)

As luck would have it, when I was puzzling over this duo dialed box, a chilled refreshing beer was calling my name. So in the spirit of the duality I added a shot of bitter orange liqueur to the glass, in the time honored tradition of French outdoor cafes everywhere … in France. Amer Picon is a wonderfully complex bitter liqueur, a French amaro created in 1837 as a medicinal tonic to make the antimalarial quinine more (?) palatable – a familiar story among bitters. Picon found its way into a few notable cocktails, such as the “Brooklyn”, but is no longer imported to America and thus has become a bit obscure here. Which is a terrible shame, because we are (mostly) missing out on one of the best ways to enjoy this spirit, which is to add it to a crisp light beer. The recommended types are pilsner or Kolsch, but I find it adds layers to almost any beer and have experimented with plenty. Pick up a bottle in Paris next time you stop though – your beer will thank you. Cheers!