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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Nevada
A drink of bitter orange-and-herb liqueur, grenadine and sparkling water, with a little brandy on top and a twist of lemon. It’s the drink of Basque houses in northern Nevada and the official beverage of the state.
Traditional drink from Nevada
Also known as: Picon, Basque Picon punch
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Picon punch — Nevada, the United States
Picon punch is served in a small glass, often stemmed, and filled with ice: a bitter orange-and-herb liqueur, inspired by a French apéritif, a bit of grenadine and sparkling water, stirred, and topped with a layer of brandy and a squeezed lemon twist. The result is reddish, bitter and sweet at the same time, and strong.
The drink is part of Nevada’s Basque heritage. Basque immigrants arrived in the western United States in the late 19th century and many worked as sheep herders in the mountains and deserts of northern Nevada. Basque hotels and boarding houses, with long tables and meals served on trays, were their gathering places in town, and Picon punch became the house drink. In the Basque Country itself the drink is little known: it’s a creation of the Basque diaspora in the American West.
Basque houses in Reno, Elko, Winnemucca and Gardnerville keep the tradition alive. Picon punch often opens a Basque meal, which is served on shared trays in multiple courses, with soup, salad, beans, lamb or ribs and red wine.
Nevada’s legislature declared Picon punch the state’s official beverage. It’s a high-alcohol drink, meant to be sipped slowly.
Bitter orange-and-herb liqueur, grenadine, sparkling water, brandy, ice and lemon twist.
In a low glass over ice, slowly, before or during a Basque meal.
All year; especially present at northern Nevada’s Basque summer festivals.
Your questions
It’s a drink of bitter orange-and-herb liqueur, grenadine, sparkling water and brandy, served with ice and a lemon twist. It’s the official beverage of Nevada.
It’s a drink of the Basques of the western United States. In the Basque Country itself it is little known.
At Basque houses and restaurants in the northern part of the state, in towns such as Reno, Elko, Winnemucca and Gardnerville.
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