This Manhattan-like cocktail is best appreciated as an after-dinner digestivo or late-night sipper. Thanks to the comments below, I have continued to revisit...
Hi Whitney, Picon Biere is a flavored beer, like a Shandy. It's not distilled. There are US craft distillers making Picon Amer like liquors. Golden Moon distillery outside Denver offers one called Picon dit Amer. I use that in place of Picon Amer although I have never had the original so I cannot make a comparison.
Thank you for the recommendation; I'll give it a try. I was able to get hold of actual Picon Amer a few years ago, but that's no longer a viable solution.
I'm pretty sure Picon Bière is in fact a distilled product, just one meant to be added to beer to indeed produce a shandy-like concoction. The label states "Pour mélanger à votre bière" and the ABV is 21%. That said, to order said concoction at a bar, you would also just ask for a Picon-Bière.
As far as replacements for Amer Picon, my favorite by far is Bigallet China-China, which is defined available in the States (even Virginia ABC carries it! )