Fernet-Branca
Fernet-Branca
39%
NAS
Perhaps the ultimate "love it or hate it" flavor in the liquor world (other than Malört), Fernet-Branca is an Italian liqueur made with a blend of 27 herbs, roots and spices including cinchona, rhubarb, chamomile, cinnamon, linden, iris, saffron, galangal and myrrh. The exact ingredient list is a closely guarded secret. The 180-year-old recipe is produced by Fernet-Branca in Milan, and is aged for one year in oak casks. Fernet is a beloved bottle in the bartending community and has a major cult following.
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Sharp, medicinal aromas of licorice, fennel seed, chamomile, coffee grounds and spearmint are brought together by a barely sweet stickiness akin to burnt molasses. It's as if everything bitter and herbal had been tossed together in a blender. It's potent, it's intimidating — it's Fernet.
Bitterness gushes in every direction. Mint and eucalyptus take center stage, numbing the palate like some sort of non-spicy Sichuan peppercorn. Of course, that's not to say there isn't spice to be found elsewhere. Notes of ginger, chamomile, cloves, star anise, citrus pith and dry vermouth combine for a baffling complex mix of flavors that's difficult to pick apart at first sip. There's some oh-so subtle fruit notes hiding within as well, but you've got to fight hard to fight them. Prunes, raisins and everything else dried and vaguely sweet.
The finish cools the back of the throat like a long drag from a menthol cigarette... an easy comparison to make, because Fernet sort of tastes like tobacco to begin with. For non-smokers, I'd compare it to the tingly feeling of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint pure-castile soap. This is where all those medicinal influences come to a head, packed in with pangs of pine needles, mint and 100% dark chocolate.
A classic for good reason. Though this flavor is surely not for everybody, it's easy to see why bartenders have developed a cult-like favoritism for everything Fernet over the past century or so. It wakes you up with a jolt, yet also has a soothing quality that feels oddly comforting, dare I say nostalgic. If you're considering a bottle for the first time, best to read up on your Italian amaro history and take it slow.
90
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
