liberal

1/2 Whiskey (1 1/2 oz Sazerac Rye)
1/2 Italian Vermouth (1 1/2 oz Cocchi Sweet)
3 dash Amer Picon (1/4 oz)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a cherry as a garnish.

One of the Amer Picon drinks I have frequently cited in this blog is the Liberal Cocktail, but I cannot link to it since it predates my writing for this blog (while still in my LiveJournal days). I made it in Fall 2007 after reading about it in Paul Clarke's Cocktail Chronicles, and the simplicity and elegance of this Manhattan variation still rather shines. I was able to trace back the original to 1895 in George Kappeler's Modern American Drinks; however, that version eschewed the sweet vermouth and was equal parts whiskey and Picon with a dash of syrup. The recipe in A.S. Crockett's 1935 The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book was one of the earliest that I found that included the sweet vermouth aspect as well as toning down the Picon content.
The Liberal met the nose with a dark orange and rye nose. Next, grape and a hint of caramel on the sip opened up to rye and vermouth flavors leading into bitter orange on the swallow with a dry quinine-tinged finish.