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29th June at 02:54
I love this drink…just made me a nightcap….and I do have a bottle of Amer Picon that I keep refrigerated but “all truth told” , ordered it from Belgium during the pandemic….seems to still be wonderful?? I used my staple, Bulliet Rye…and both Martini and Rossi vermouths..
Mike’s Avatar Mike
28th June at 21:12
No Amer Picon here in the USA, so made with equivalent amount of China China. I didn’t add triple sec or water, but stirred longer than normal. Really delicious and highly recommended. My choices: Wild Turkey 101 Rye, Dolin dry, Cocchi di Torino sweet, China China, Luxardo Maraschino.
Werd Bmocsil’s Avatar Werd Bmocsil
10th June at 01:10
My first cocktail with Amer Picon, and it's fantastic.
Thanks to The Cocktail Seminars by Brian Hoefling for alerting me to the recipe by Jamie Boudreau. Since the Amer Picon recipe uses Amaro Ramazzotti as the base, perhaps Ramazzotti plus some orange bitters would come close. :shrug:
Werd Bmocsil’s Avatar Werd Bmocsil
10th June at 19:17
Florian Ruf’s Avatar Florian Ruf
26th May at 20:33
I made the original recipe and found it ready for improvement. Triple sec or chartreuse could be a good tip, thank you!
Ben R’s Avatar Ben R
22nd December 2024 at 03:33
I've been looking forward to make this for about two years. I finally tracked down a bottle of the Golden Moon equivalent of Amer Picon, not being able to source the authentic ingredient in my country. I'm kicking myself for not seeing the recommendation to use China-China, as I've had a bottle of that for some time. Yet they taste fairly different, so now I get to make both...

I get the comparison to a Manhattan, but it's almost a disservice. Far superior. Top 10 Difford's maybe.
Matt’s Avatar Matt
13th December 2024 at 03:30
I'm surprised at the peek of the dry vermouth that came at the start. Made with Bigallet China-China (w/ triple sec added as recommended above). Very good, but this has become a bit too involved in crafting for me to want to go to often. I favor other Manhattan variants.
19th November 2024 at 04:30
What a great drink….I was able to secure a bottle of Amer Picon during Covid and still good from the fridge……used Rittenhouse and Martini and Rossi on the vermouths…..sooo good I had to have two!
Morten Carlsbaek’s Avatar Morten Carlsbaek
2nd August 2024 at 21:26
Best Manhattan version I've had!
I used the Danish Rye Whisky from Stauning. Very dominant rye taste, so I stod by the 10 ml of Bigallet China-China and 10 ml water, but added 1,25 ml Cointreau as recommended. Vermouths were the fairly dry and bitter Chazalettes Rosso and just a plain dry vermouth.
I'll be back to the perfect Brooklyn, so much more that its parts.
Frederic D.’s Avatar Frederic D.
6th July 2024 at 00:16
Made with Pikesville Rye (110 proof) and Bigallet China-China. I really enjoyed it but was surprised at how much the maraschino liqueur came through on the back end. This improved with the addition of an ice cube, so lesson learned: proper dilution is key to fully enjoying this drink.
Stephen Broughall’s Avatar Stephen Broughall
3rd April 2024 at 00:00
Had muled Picon Biere back from France, so used that. Tasted great but I guess will still have to pursue the elusive Picon Amer to compare.
Alex White’s Avatar Alex White
13th January 2022 at 16:19
Have just made an alternative along the same lines... 45ml Daddy Rack Tennessee Whiskey, 15ml Antica Formula, 15ml Martini Ambrato, 10ml Luxardo Perla Dry, 10ml Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, 5ml Clementi China Antico, 5ml Water. Spritz of Orange Zest. Obligatory Cherries!
Bertrand Péraut’s Avatar Bertrand Péraut
10th March 2021 at 12:48
If French amaro refers to Picon Amer, then it should be said that Picon actually comes from Belgium. However, it's so good that it could be French ! ;)
Although I tend to prefer the dryer Brooklyn Cocktail, I must admit that this version is... perfect ! One of my favorite cocktails in winter. It's so comforting.
Kjell Eriksson’s Avatar Kjell Eriksson
7th May 2021 at 21:36
Picon Amer is obviously produced in Belgium nowadays, but I think it’s safe to say that it is an original French bitter, given that Gaétan Picon was French, born and bred, although he first started producing the beverage in Algeria. See for instance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picon_(apéritif).
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
10th March 2021 at 13:10
Whooops! Thanks for the correction. I've removed the reference.
JACQUELINE KIRK’s Avatar JACQUELINE KIRK
6th February 2021 at 16:04
Not sure if someone has mentioned already among all the comments, but the Greenpoint variation is very nice! I actually prefer it with green Chartreuse, but this is the original recipe with yellow IIRC.
2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce yellow Chartreuse
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish: lemon twist
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
7th February 2021 at 18:12
Great suggestion. I've added a link to the Greenpoint above.
Alex White’s Avatar Alex White
1st February 2021 at 19:16
My favourite Manhattan-style recipe. I make with Bigallet China-China in place of the Picon, which I prefer. Also add a drop or two of the syrup from the Maraschino jar.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
8th February 2021 at 21:57
Thanks Alex. Bigallet China-China is a great tip. after experimentation, I've added a note above, but instead of maraschino, I found triple sec added the missing orange notes while water tames the higher alc./vol..
Davey Springer’s Avatar Davey Springer
7th January 2021 at 10:25
Delicious! we tried this with Bulleit Rye and also Maker's 46 and found that the Rye really made the difference. the Bourbon clouded the complexity of the sweet components of this drink. I think we'll try this with a single malt next time. Perhaps Bladnoch's biscuity 10yo...?
Steve Cox’s Avatar Steve Cox
5th January 2021 at 04:20
I love what the dry vermouth adds to this, and my first time trying this "manhattan" style cocktail with it. It adds a little more depth and complexity. I don't have the Picon and have not tried it, so I wasn't sure how best to substitute it. I instead added several dashes of orange bitters and 1 drop of black walnut bitters. I can see myself making these more frequently so I may spring for a bottle of Picon. And now I'm on a quest to try more of the dry/sweet vermouth hybrids.
Steve Cox’s Avatar Steve Cox
12th January 2021 at 16:35
So tried making a Amer Picon substititute again that I could just batch. Equal parts orange bitters, Cointreau, Aperol, and Nonino Amaro. Will still work on sourcing some Amer Picon though.
6th October 2020 at 09:29
I’m calling this version the “Letterkenny”. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye for the boys, white & red Dolin vermouth for Canada, the Maraschino for Miss Katy - the Maraschino complements the Canadian rye very well. Figure it out!
Peter Anderson’s Avatar Peter Anderson
13th July 2020 at 13:38
This looks great - I love the onus this website has towards 'perfect drinks', really brings balance. We are trying to tour the NYC boroughs during lockdown, but, alas, no Picon Amer here in Singapore. Also, we ran out of Bulleit Rye last week so have had to improvise a wee bit.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
13th July 2020 at 14:28
Good luck with the ongoing tour. Perhaps worth seeing if TheWhiskyExchange.com will ship items you can't get in Singapore.
Steve Anderson’s Avatar Steve Anderson
7th April 2020 at 22:33
I like this better than the Brooklyn in Diiford's. I like the mix of sweet and dry Vermouth, and less Vermouth than Rye.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
8th April 2020 at 09:48
We have 6 different versions of the Brooklyn on Difford's Guide and like you, this is my favourite.