Amber Picon (Boudreau)

place all ingredients into a container and stir.

allow ingredients to get to know each other for at least one week.

filter and bottle.

keep excess refrigerated.

Fill any sealable container halfway with dried orange peel. Fill with 100-proof vodka. Wait 1-2 months. Strain. Reduce infusion time to 3-6 weeks by shaking thrice daily. Reduce to 3 weeks by using high-proof grain neutral spirits (Everclear) and add water to bring to 100 proof.

Amer Boudreau is a replica of the historic (higher proof) Amer Picon, created by bartender and mixologist Jamie Boudreau. His recipe requires that you first make a tincture of orange peel, then mix that with Amaro Ramazzotti and Stirrings blood orange bitters.

Jamie quotes the recipe in 3x the above, making 6-7 bottles at a time. The historic Amer Picon was 39% ABV. As specified, Amer Boudreau is 31% ABV. If you omit the mineral water, the ABV is 36%. but the flavors may be a bit strong. If you substitute 100 proof vodka for the mineral water, the ABV is 38.5%.

Used in the classic Brooklyn cocktail along with dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and rye whiskey, this European bitters falls somewhere between the lighter aperitif and dense aromatic categories.