The Tasting Note
Coffee-brown, almost black at the core.
Rooty and medicinal before anything else — rhubarb, gentian, saffron, myrrh, chamomile — then mint and bitter orange arrive all at once.
The first sip is a dare: dry, fiercely bitter, espresso and unsweetened cocoa, with galingale spice and a menthol chill that numbs everything it touches.
Sugar sits low here, and what lingers is long, minty and unapologetic.
The bartender's handshake, not a gateway bottle. Pour it neat at the end of a long night, shake it into a Hanky Panky, or top it with cola if you are in Buenos Aires.
Drink now.
— Robert Cross
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Pour It Into
Hanky Panky
Two parts gin, two parts sweet vermouth, two dashes of Fernet — invented by the first woman to head the Savoy's American Bar.
Toronto
Rye, Fernet, a touch of sugar, and bitters — the Canadian rye cocktail Fernet drinkers swear by.
The Hard Start
Fernet-Branca and Branca Menta, side by side. The international bartender handshake.
Fernet con Coca
Argentina's national drink: menthol, cola and a lot of ice.
Amaro Manhattan
Swap half the vermouth for amaro and the Manhattan gains a spine.
Fernet Sour
Menthol and saffron whipped into a silk-textured sour.
Where to Buy
Where to buy Fernet-Branca
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Newsletter
The Bitter Brief
One short Friday dispatch: a bottle worth buying, a cocktail worth mixing, and a little Italian history.