- 60mL rye
- 30mL dry vermouth
- 7.5mL Maraschino liqueur
- 7.5mL Amer Picon
Stir over ice, and serve up in a cocktail glass with Maraschino cherry for garnish.
Similar to the Manhattan, but named for a neighboring borough in New York, we have the classic, but perhaps less well known beverage, the Brooklyn.
Dry vermouth instead of sweet naturally makes the Brooklyn a bit drier than the Manhattan (imagine that), but it’s the small amounts of Maraschino and Amer Picon that give the drink it’s stylized kick. And Amer Picon may even be unfamiliar to you, especially if you’re in America, where it’s not really found.
It is claimed by many that Amer Picon is not in the U.S. for obscure legal reasons, but the reality is that it’s just not exported much to the U.S. It has yet to have the resurgence in cocktail culture than many similarly obscure ingredients have experienced (observe Creme di Violette’s rise over the last decade).
Amer Picon is a delightful herbal liqueur containing flavors of orange, gentian, and cinchona. It gives a nice earthy kick to the Brooklyn cocktail that is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the Maraschino, and the herbal notes of a good rye.
But, if you are having trouble finding Amer Picon, don’t fret. There are many delicious substitutes. Amer Torani, Ramazzotti, and many other amaros can be used in its stead, and each gives a delectable twist to the original recipe. Really, you could serve it up many different ways, and with many different vermouths, each making subtle differences in the final product. And really, isn’t that experimentation what it’s all about?