Fernet-Branca
The bitterest bottle behind the bar, and precisely why it’s a cult drink among bartenders. Everything about the herbs, the alcohol content, how to drink it, and the glass to serve it in.
A Milanese bitter passed down through five generations
Fernet-Branca has been made by Fratelli Branca in Milan since 1845, and the recipe hasn’t changed in five generations. It’s made with more than 27 herbs and spices from four continents, including myrrh, chamomile, saffron, gentian root, rhubarb, and aloe. They’re infused in alcohol, then the blend is aged for months in oak barrels.
The result is one of the bitterest drinks around: intensely herbal, minty, and completely unsweet, at 39% alcohol. In Italy, it’s the classic after-dinner digestif; in Argentina, it’s widely drunk with cola as a “Fernandito,” and in bars from San Francisco to Amsterdam, a shot of Fernet is the unofficial drink of bar staff.
In brief
Fernet-Branca and similar herbal bitters
Fernet-Branca is the most bitter of the bunch. If you want something in the same vein but a little milder, these are the natural next steps.
Fernet-Branca
The original from Milan: more than 27 herbs, intensely bitter and minty, with no sweetness at all. Serve ice-cold in a small glass.
Ramazzotti Amaro
Italy’s oldest authentic amaro house, with 33 herbs and sweet Sicilian orange peel and bitter curaçao orange peel. Bittersweet and much more approachable.
Vecchio Amaro del Capo
Calabrian herbal liqueur with 29 ingredients, including orange, licorice, chamomile, and juniper. Serve ice-cold from the freezer.
Becherovka
Not Italian, but in the same vein: a Bohemian herbal bitter with distinct ginger and cinnamon notes. Serve well chilled.
Start with Ramazzotti; Fernet is the bitterest of them all.
Intensely bitter, herbal, and menthol-like
Menthol & herbs
Mint, myrrh, and medicinal herbs, with saffron and an earthy undertone. Honestly, it smells like a pharmacy, and that's the point.
Very bitter and dry
Directly and intensely bitter from gentian, rhubarb, and aloe, with menthol that cools the mouth. It contains hardly any sugar.
Long and refreshing
A long, dry finish with mint and herbs that lingers for minutes. Just what you want after a heavy meal.
Fernet-Branca's flavor profile. Ramazzotti scores much higher on sweetness and lower on herbal notes; Amaro del Capo falls somewhere in between.
Three ways to drink Fernet-Branca
Fernet is a digestif: a small glass, after dinner, ice-cold. If you find the bitterness too intense, mix it with cola or tonic.
Neat after dinner
Serve 3 to 4 cl, ice-cold, in a small shot glass after a heavy meal. The chill softens the bitterness just enough, while the menthol refreshes. This is how they drink it in Milan.
Glass: shot glass →As a Fernandito, with cola
Pour 50 ml Fernet-Branca and 150 ml cola over plenty of ice in a tumbler, and garnish with a slice of lemon. Argentina's national mixed drink; the cola balances the bitterness just right.
Glass: tumbler →In a Hanky Panky
Stir 45 ml gin, 45 ml red vermouth, and two barspoons of Fernet-Branca with ice, then strain into a coupe. The bitterness lifts the cocktail without overpowering it.
Go to recipe →The best cocktails with Fernet-Branca
Use Fernet in small quantities in cocktails: just a couple of barspoons do the trick.
Hanky Panky
Gin, red vermouth, and two barspoons of Fernet. Created at the Savoy Bar in London.
Negroni
Gin, Campari, and red vermouth. A dash of Fernet makes it even drier and more herbal.
Americano
Campari, red vermouth, and soda. Bittersweet and low in alcohol.
Boulevardier
Whiskey, Campari, and red vermouth. The warmer, stronger cousin of the Negroni.The right glass for Fernet-Branca
A small shot glass for sipping neat after dinner, a tumbler for a Fernandito with cola, and a coupe for a Hanky Panky. These are the glasses we recommend.
Everything else you wanted to know about Fernet-Branca
Can’t find your question? Browse our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What percentage of alcohol does Fernet-Branca contain?
Why is Fernet-Branca so bitter?
What is an amaro?
What is a Fernandito?
Does Fernet-Branca help with a hangover?
Should you drink Fernet-Branca chilled?
Buy Fernet-Branca
Want the bottle delivered straight to your door? Order Fernet-Branca online from Gall & Gall.
Prices as of November 3, 2026, as provided by Gall & Gall. You can check the current price and availability at Gall & Gall. Glazen.nl receives a small commission if you buy something through these links; you pay nothing extra. No under 18s, no alcohol.
