Nevada to Crown Picon Punch as State Drink

Whiskey Weeps in the Corner

For lo, these many years, it was taken as gospel truth that the official beverage of Nevada was whatever whiskey could get poured from a jug, and the only credentials required for its adoption were a fiery disposition and an ability to make a man forget his troubles—sometimes permanently. But in a stunning turn of legislative fancy, the Silver State is now considering a proper and official drink, and the honor may fall upon that most Basque of libations: Picon Punch.

Assembly Bill 375, sponsored by esteemed gentlemen Steve Yeager and Bert Gurr, seeks to bestow the noble title of State Drink upon this 19th-century concoction, a mingling of Amer Picon, grenadine, club soda, and a ceremonious float of brandy, all nestled within a tulip-shaped glass—presumably so the drinker may admire it before losing his wits entirely. Once a product of foreign lands, Amer Piconnow finds its only refuge on American soil at Reno’s Ferino Distillery, making the drink a rare gem in the thirsty world of spirits.

However, as all shrewd legislators can attest, no bill can pass through the esteemed halls of government without some incentives, and AB375 is no exception.

In addition to bestowing this liquid distinction upon the state, the bill proposes a modern twist–permitting establishments to sell mixed drinks in sealed containers for off-site consumption—an innovation that will surely spare many a weary Nevadan the terrible burden of assembling a cocktail at home. Moreover, it seeks to refine the laws surrounding alcohol delivery, ensuring that the devil’s nectar may find its way to the parched with greater efficiency than ever before.

The Legislature will hear the matter Monday, and the good people of Nevada can only watch with bated breath—and perhaps a stiff drink in hand—to see whether Picon Punch will take its rightful place or if whiskey will remain the unspoken sovereign of the sagebrush frontier.