bitters for fall

Sometimes a splash of bitter is what it takes to remember how sweet life can be. It lights up the back row of our palate, and calls for a rinse of sweet, and then "repeat". Here on deck, Faccio Brutto's Amaro Gorini (Brooklyn, NY), Mountain by Michelberger (MXPSM) from Berlin, and Golden Moon's Amer dit Picon (faithfully based on the original 1830's recipe by Gaetan Picon, inventor of the illusive bitters Amer Picon).

Amaro Gorini: High-tones of Fennel & Orange, Mid-tones of Rhubarb and Bass-notes of Gentian.

Swap out your dusty commercial amaro for this zesty small-batch powerhouse when recreating Ross & Petraske's 2007 cocktail masterwork, the Paper Plane.

Michelberger Mountain: Anise, Sage and Lemon on the Treble Clef, with Seed and Pod Spices in the Bass and Rhythm section. If only everything marketed "with a bird on it" could offer as much inspo as this Mountain - Sourced from an anonymous schnapps recipe recovered from a bureau in the catacombs of the Michelberger Hotel, this bottling not only launched the first hotel based distillery but inspired a full-on music festival in Berlin, of its own namesake. Have a few sips and "see" why.

Amer dit Picon: Hailing from Golden Colorado, a mixologist's silver dagger - the only domestic reproduction of Amer Picon which can faithfully slay the knavish yet charismatic Brooklyn cocktail. Aside from stirring, put on your best b&w cafe garb and hop into a Godard film. Dance the Madison and sip a Picon Biére (Beer & Picon), as Golden Moon has made it possible for us to experience the Picon magic stateside, for the outsider.

Bitter-Sweet is the palette and palate for Fall, and you dont need be an iconoclast to catch a sip (but it couldn't hurt).