Gaétan Picon
Gaétan Picon (born 1809 ; died 1882 ) was a French scientist and inventor of the aperitif drink Picon .
Life
Before Picon served in the French army and spent part of his service time in Algeria , he had apprenticeship positions in the distilleries in Aix-en-Provence , Toulon and Marseille . In 1837 he invented Picon , a bitter with 39% alcohol by volume .
After he opened the first distillery for the production of so-called Amer Africain , others followed in Constantine , Annaba and Algiers .
When the Universal Exhibition took place in London in 1862 , Jean-Baptiste Nouvion urged him to present his drink at the exhibition. When the latter refused, Nouvion sent a crate of the drink to London without Pico's knowledge, where Pico's invention was awarded a bronze medal.
In 1872 Picon returned to France and opened the first distillery to produce his drink in Marseille , which is still in operation today.
Individual evidence
- ^ Journal "L'Illustration" of May 24, 1930 - histoire de l'apéritif amer Picon or amer algérien
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Picon, Gaétan |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French scientist and inventor of the Picon aperitif drink |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1809 |
DATE OF DEATH | 1882 |