Fernet-Branca
The bitterest bottle behind the bar, and precisely for that reason a cult drink among bartenders. Everything about the herbs, the alcohol content, how to drink it, and the glass that goes with it.
A Milanese bitter spanning five generations
Fernet-Branca has been made by Fratelli Branca in Milan since 1845, and the recipe has not changed in five generations. It consists of more than 27 herbs and spices from four continents, including myrrh, chamomile, saffron, gentian root, rhubarb, and aloe. These are infused in alcohol, after which the mixture ages for months in oak barrels.
The result is one of the bitterest drinks there is: intensely herbal, mentholated, and completely unsweet, at 39% alcohol. In Italy, it is the classic digestif after a meal; in Argentina, it is widely drunk with cola as a 'Fernandito', and in bars from San Francisco to Amsterdam, a shot of Fernet is considered the unofficial drink of bar staff among themselves.
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 logical next steps.
Fernet-Branca
The original from Milan: more than 27 herbs, intensely bitter and mentholated, without any sweetness. Ice-cold in a small glass.
Ramazzotti Amaro
Italy's oldest true amaro house, with 33 herbs and sweet Sicilian 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. Served ice-cold from the freezer.
Becherovka
Not Italian, but from the same corner of the world: a Bohemian herbal bitter with pronounced ginger and cinnamon. Serve well chilled.
Start with Ramazzotti; Fernet is the most bitter of them all.
Intensely bitter, herbal and mentholated
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
Direct and intensely bitter from gentian, rhubarb and aloe, with menthol that cools the mouth. It contains almost no sugar.
Long and refreshing
A long, dry finish with mint and herbs that lingers for minutes. Exactly what you want after a heavy meal.
Fernet-Branca flavor profile. Ramazzotti scores noticeably 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 a meal, ice-cold. If you find the bitterness too strong, mix it with cola or tonic.
Neat after a meal
3 to 4 cl, ice-cold, in a small shot glass after a heavy meal. The cold 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 with 150 ml cola over plenty of ice in a tumbler, 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 sweet vermouth and two bar spoons of Fernet-Branca with ice, then strain into a coupe. The bitterness lifts the cocktail without taking over.
Go to the recipe →The best cocktails with Fernet-Branca
Use Fernet in small amounts in cocktails: a few bar spoons are all it takes.
Hanky Panky
Gin, sweet vermouth and two spoons of Fernet. Created at the Savoy Bar in London.
Negroni
Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. A splash of Fernet makes it even drier and more herbal.
Americano
Campari, sweet vermouth and soda. Bittersweet and low in alcohol.
Boulevardier
Whiskey, Campari and sweet vermouth. The warm, stronger cousin of the Negroni.The right glass for Fernet-Branca
A small shot glass for drinking it neat after a meal, a tumbler for the Fernandito with cola and a coupe for the Hanky Panky. These are the glasses we recommend ourselves.
Everything you still wanted to know about Fernet-Branca
Can't find your question? Check out our cocktail recipes or contact us.
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