Presented by the Nevada Restaurant Association
Nevada Day Eve
& the Picon Punch
Join us in Reno to celebrate Nevada Day, our official state drink and the Basque families and restaurants that kept its tradition alive.
NvRA is bringing the restaurant and hospitality community together at Ferino Distillery for an evening honoring a distinct part of Nevada’s culture. Whether Picon Punch is a family tradition or something you’re discovering for the first time, we invite you to be part of the occasion.
The history behind the gathering
Before it was official,
it was a Nevada tradition.
Basque immigrants built lives across the American West, many working as sheepherders in the Great Basin. When they returned to town, Basque boardinghouses offered lodging, family-style meals and conversation in their own language. Those businesses helped people find community far from home.
Picon Punch became part of that hospitality. Developed within Basque-American communities, the drink found a lasting place at restaurant bars and before shared meals. Its connection to Nevada grew through the people who served it and the places where they gathered.
That history continues at the J.T. in Gardnerville, Louis’ Basque Corner in Reno, the Martin Hotel in Winnemucca and the Star Hotel in Elko. Each has its own families, customs and place in the community.
Our celebration recognizes the work behind that continuity: the cooks, servers, bartenders and generations of restaurant families who preserved these traditions while keeping their businesses serving Nevada.
Then Nevada made it official.
Assembly Bill 375 designated Picon Punch as Nevada’s official state drink. Basque advocates, including J.B. Lekumberry of the J.T., championed the recognition. Assemblymember Bert Gurr brought the proposal forward with Speaker Steve Yeager.
NvRA helped present the broader AB375 bill and proposed amendments as part of its restaurant advocacy. We are proud that this legislation also recognized a tradition sustained by Nevada’s Basque community. The designation gives statewide recognition to a contribution these families and restaurants have made for generations.
Read the story behind the recognition →Why we’re gathering at Ferino
Ferino’s connection goes beyond hosting the evening. The Reno distillery now produces the continuation of Torani Amer, the American-made aperitif familiar to generations of Picon Punch drinkers. Torani transferred its formula to Ferino so that production could continue.
Celebrating at Ferino connects the restaurants that preserved this tradition with a Nevada producer helping sustain its future. It is a fitting place to recognize both the history of the drink and the people continuing the work today.
Proudly supported by Statement Insurance Agency
Statement Insurance Agency serves restaurants, bars, breweries and food producers through its food-and-beverage insurance practice. Thank you to Statement for supporting this Nevada Day Eve gathering and helping bring our hospitality community together.