Quadrophenia

2 oz Bourbon (Four Roses in original)

1⁄2 oz Sweet vermouth (Cocchi Vermouth di Torino in original)

1⁄2 oz Averna

1⁄4 oz Amer Picon (House recipe--likely Amer Boudreau)

1 ds Cherry Bitters (Old Forester Bohemian Bitters)

1 twst Orange peel (flamed, as garnish)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, and stir gently to chill. Strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange peel expressed above the glass.

Notes

Receipe calls for Old Forester Bohemian Bitters - not recognized by Kindred Cocktails. Old Forester refers to it's bitters as "cherry tobacco" flavored - also not recognized.

History

Per https://backdownsouth.com/good-looks/julian/ the author sampled the cocktail prior to the opening in May 2012. An October 2013 Eater Atlanta article https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/manhattan-monday-14-variations-on-the-cl… describes the ingredients as: "house-made Amer Picon with Averna Amaro Silciliano, Four Roses bourbon, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and a flamed orange expression." The 2022 Paste magazine article provides quantities and a dash of Old Forester Bohemian Bitters--although it is not clear if these (or other) bitters were actually in the original drink. The Paste article also suggests that the Amer Boudreau recipe was the basis of the original drink.

Cocktail summary

Created by

Julian Goglia, The Pinewood
Decatur, Ga.

Year

2012

Is an

authentic recipe

Reference

Amer Picon: A French Secret Weapon for Classic Cocktails
By Jim Vorel | March 29, 2022 | 1:13pm Paste Magazine

Curator

Not yet rated

Average

4.5 stars

(6 ratings)

Cocktail Book

From other users

Subbed the bitters with a combination of Fee Cherry and 18:21 Havana and Hide.

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Comments

An October 2013 link (https://atlanta.eater.com/maps/manhattan-monday-14-variations-on-the-cl…) says the following: "Bar manager Julian Goglia mixes house-made Amer Picon with Averna Amaro Silciliano, Four Roses bourbon, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, and a flamed orange expression." I found another link from 2014 that suggests to me that Julian Goglia *might* be the creator of the cocktail as well (https://backdownsouth.com/good-looks/julian/).

I tried the proportions posted in the KC cocktail, with real Amer Picon, Cocchi di Torino, and an expressed flamed orange peel, omitting the bitters. I might also try it with Bigallet China-China in place of the Amer Picon since the bar was using a house-made version, and Amer Picon has a darker character and more bite than the substitutes I have tried. The Amer Picon yields a more coffee ground/burnt bitter orange flavor and combined with the Cocchi there is some floral sherry essence to what would otherwise primarily be a Black Manhattan.

Curated to list as authentic recipe with information leading back to ~2012 creation. I have assumed that Julian Goglia was the creator as nobody else's name has been associated with it and he was the proprietor that introduced it. The historic calls are included as ingredient notes from what is known and the history section includes links.

I have also remade this again per the above although I substituted Bigallet China-China Amer for Amer Picon, and Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bourbon Barrel Aged Cocktail Bitters for the Old Forester Bohemian Bitters. It is pretty good, although a little sweeter than I would like, probably due to the Bigallet. I haven't made Amer Boudreau (uses Ramazzotti and a dried orange peel tincture), but it might be the "secret sauce" for replicating the original flavor profile and slightly redder/purplish color. I might make a small sample with fresh orange peels I have on hand to give it a spin.

I finally made some Amer Boudreau a few weeks ago as per the recipes posted on line (Ramazotti and dried orange peel tincture.) This week while in Tennessee I also picked up some Old Forester Bohemian Bitters as called for in the Paste article. Having these components in hand, plus Four Roses Bourbon, I remade per the spec. I was quite pleased at the result, the drier nature of the Amer Boudreau was a better match than sweeter Bigallet China-China Amer. The bitters fit right in. I'll bump my rating up to 5 stars.