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Picon Amer
Amer Picon is made with fresh and dried orange peel macerated in neutral alcohol and then distilled. Dried gentian roots and quinquina are macerated separately...
Mark
21st May 2025 at 21:05
Burst of orange with a hint of fennel/aniseed on the nose, little bit of gentian, hint of chocolate too. Super orangey on the palate with a pleasant, lingering bitterness and coffee aftertaste. That’s some good stuff!
26th August 2023 at 06:28
REMINDER: It's Belgian by origin. But, to say it's French is the same the ongoing debates of Vodka, and Whisky. Like those never-ending debates of their origins, or whoever came up with those products first is mind boggling. Regardless, the same applies to this Belgian product by origin. It is very old, being around since the early 19th Century. With that said, we must remember that although Belgians do speak French, but to say they are French is blasphemous. Don't tell this to any Belgian. ?
10th August 2023 at 21:52
In the US you can find Golden Moon Amer dit Picon, which is purportedly based on Gaëtan Picon’s original recipe. It works very well in a Brooklyn.
11th August 2023 at 06:23
You'll see Golden Moom if you click "see more Amer" above.
28th September 2022 at 16:32
No clear why it says it is a product of Belgium. It's 100% French. Although exactly where it is made remains unclear. Some report Marseille, others Bordeaux, Levallois and/or Lyon. But it's in France.
29th September 2022 at 10:07
It was originally made in France but the label of the bottles we have say they were made by Diageo Belgium. Diageo recently sold Picon to Pernod Ricard who I'm sure will return production to France. However, Diageo may well have sold the brand with a supply contract lasting perhaps two years to allow the seller time to cease production and the buyer time to prepare to take over production.
12th December 2021 at 11:33
I would suggest Amaro CioCiaro as an excellent alternative…
Anonymous
27th November 2021 at 18:28
Thanks Simon. Sorry, being a bit stupid but do you mean that the original Amer Picon is still available from Belgium, as well as the Bière and Club versions? I've seen contradictory info around e.g. some people saying that the Bière version is the same as the Picon Amer but others disagreeing.
28th November 2021 at 12:58
Thank you Simon - just ordered some, hopefully (my Flemish isn't very good!)
28th November 2021 at 09:28
I've not tried each of the various different Amer Picons against each other but their alc./vol.s helps confirm my suspicion that they all vary slightly. Amer Picon is made by/for Diageo Belgium and is still available via online shops based in Belgium.
Anonymous
27th November 2021 at 11:11
Is the original Amer Picon no longer produced, and replaced by the Biere and Club versions? If so, which is the better one to get for cocktails such as the Brooklyn?
27th November 2021 at 16:50
Biere and Club versions are slightly different animals. If you can't obtain Amer Picon (best sourced from Belgium online shops) then I suggest you use a 50:50 blend of Bigallet China-China and French-made Dubonnet Red (I've not tried with the USA version of Dubonnet).
13th September 2021 at 09:03
Been years since I've seen a bottle of China Martini but as I remember it's quite a different product. However, if you can't obtain Picon Amer, I'd give it a try.
12th September 2021 at 11:26
Can China Martini L'amaro be a substitute for Picon Amer?
27th March 2021 at 23:54
can you replace with cointreau and mr blacks or a shot of expresso and c?
12th April 2021 at 19:24
A strong Espresso with Cointreau is not a Bad idea. I would add some dashes of bittest, such as Boker’s by TBT.
Anonymous
24th February 2021 at 02:50
Would be great if you suggested alternatives or substitutes
16th November 2025 at 19:21
Francois Bigalet's China China Amer is a reasonable substitute albeit sweeter
13th April 2021 at 07:13
Many thanks for the suggestion Stephan. I have not tried Palo Tunel (30% alc./vol.) but I have added a "See more Amer" link above to display potential alternatives to Picon Amer (21% alc./vol.)