As a boy growing up in a small town in northern Nevada I was fortunate to share in the rich heritage of the large Basque community in the area. It was and still is very full of great music, dance, friendships, and most important to me, food and drinks. I did not, as a rule, engage in underage drinking of alcohol. Everyone else around me did, but I was a rebel. I do remember breaking that rule on three occasions. One was a shot of Jose Cuervo at 18 when a friend was killed. One was a Screwdriver at a party one month before I turned 21.
The last underage drink was a Picon Punch. That I had at the wedding of a Basque friend when I was 19. It was in Winnemucca and I had gone with another friend to pick up the old Basque bartender at the Winnemucca Hotel for the wedding. When we arrived he was making up a giant pitcher of Picon Punch for the wedding the only way he knew how: one at a time! He would mix up a glass, then pour it into the pitcher and start the next one (which I've always found odd for something called a punch). Eventually he finished and later that night I decided to sneak one. I immediately fell in love with it. Strong, for sure, but still sweet and complex, it was my first real cocktail.
To this day I still enjoy them anytime I pass through Winnemucca (though sadly the old bartender has passed on and the Winnemucca Hotel is closed) or stop at a Basque restaurant.
If you don't know, the Picon Punch is the official drink of the Basque. It was almost the official drink of the State of Nevada, but can't seem to get through the legislature. One day, I hope...
The heart of the drink is a little French apertif known as Amer Picon. This liquor is made from some very bitter oranges soaked in alcohol, then re-distilled and flavored with such ingredients as gentiana root (apparently some king of flower), and chinchona bark (it contains quinine, both a popular ingredient for Bitters as well as a treatment for Malaria!). Curiously, Amer Picon used to pack quite a punch at 78 proof. However, over the last few decades it has eased up to a much more civilized, if not as much fun, 42 proof. Add grenadine and soda water, a floater of brandy, and a twist of lemon peel and you have what is still my favorite cocktail.
This brings me to the Picon Punch served at the 1864 Tavern in Reno. At $5 (currently) it is a a great deal for one of their signature cocktails. Each are crafted by experienced and very dapper bartenders in the traditional way to perfection. But, what really sets this apart is the grenadine. You see most places just by the bottled stuff, which is really just corn syrup, red food coloring, preservatives, and some "flavoring". The "flavor" is kind of fruity, though no one really knows which fruit it's supposed to be. The gurus at 1864 make their own grenadine from pure pomegranate juice (that's the fruit it's supposed to be!!!), and believe me it makes all the difference in the world. In short, it's perfection.
While Northern Nevada is blessed with plenty of Basque bars and restaurants, I don't think you will find a better Picon Punch than 1864 Tavern's, unless maybe inside the ranch house of an 80 year old Basque shepherd. If only they served Chorizo...
~TNB
1864 Tavern
290 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509
(775) 329-1864| Monday | 3:00 – 11:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 3:00 – 11:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 3:00 – 11:00 pm |
| Thursday | 3:00 – 11:00 pm |
| Friday | 3:00 pm – 2:00 am |
| Saturday | 3:00 pm – 2:00 am |
| Sunday | 3:00 – 11:00 pm |
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