Fernet-Branca

Fernet-Branca (Italian pronunciation: [ferˌnɛtˈbraŋka]) is an Italian brand of fernet, a style of amaro or bitters. It was formulated in Milan in 1845, and is manufactured there by Fratelli Branca Distillerie.[1]

Fernet-Branca
Typeamaro bitter (fernet)
ManufacturerFratelli Branca Distillerie
Country of origin Milan, Italy
Introduced1845
Alcohol by volume 39%
Flavourbitter
Websitewww.fernetbranca.com Edit this on Wikidata

History

Fernet-Branca was formulated in Milan in 1845 by a self-taught herbalist, Bernardino Branca, who with his sons set up a business to manufacture and sell it.[2] It was marketed as a pick-me-up and as a cure for worms, for fever, for cholera[3] and for menstrual pain.[2] From 1886 the company published annual calendars with works by well-known artists.[4] The eagle-and-globe logo was designed in 1893 by Leopoldo Metlicovitz.[5]

The company began exporting to Argentina in 1907, and in 1925 established a distillery in Buenos Aires.[6] In the United States the drink became popular after the passage of prohibition laws in 1919, as it was sold in pharmacies as a medicinal product.[7][2] By 1936 Branca had set up a branch office in Tribeca, New York, to satisfy American demand.[2][8] Production in the United States peaked at 60,000 cases in 1960.[2]

Formulation
Fernet and Coke, common in Uruguay and Argentina

Fernet-Branca is produced according to the original recipe of 1845.[9]: 36 [lower-alpha 1] It is made from 27 herbs and other ingredients;[10] the exact formula is a trade secret. Sources have reported that its recipe includes Chinese rhubarb, Aloe ferox (bitter aloe), cinchona, chocolate,[11] quinine[12] and angelica.[13] According to the Branca web site, the drink contains " ... rhubarb from China, gentian from France, galanga from India or from Sri Lanka, (and) chamomile from Europe [or] Argentina",[14] as well as linden (Tiliae flos), iris, saffron, zedoary, myrrh and cinchona.[15]

Fernet-Branca has a higher alcohol content, at 39%, and lower sugar content than most other amari.[16] It is aged in oak barrels for a year.[16]

The manufacturer also offers a sweeter, mint-flavored liqueur, Branca Menta.

Consumption
Fernet-Branca ad before 1900

Fernet-Branca is often consumed neat as a digestivo, or as a mixing component (usually supportive and not as the primary ingredient) in cocktails such as the "Toronto",[17] the "Fanciulli" and the "Hanky Panky".

In Argentina fernet con coca – Fernet-Branca with Coca-Cola – is a popular drink.[18][19] Some sources report that over 75% of all fernet produced worldwide is consumed there.[20]

In the United States it has been referred to as "The Bartender’s Handshake".[16][21] It is estimated that 35% of all Fernet-Branca imported into the US is consumed in San Francisco.[22]

Advertisement for the Argentine Centennial, 1910

Notes
  1. In the United States, after the Psychotropic Substances Act was passed in 1978, the recipe was changed in order to bring opiates down to legal levels.[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5]
  2. "An Amaro That Will Make History". 17 July 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  3. "Fernet-Branca: a brand history". The Spirits Business. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. Cavalieri, Nate (7 December 2005). "The Myth of Fernet". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  5. Curtis, Wayne (1 November 2008). "The Bitter Beginning". The Atlantic.

References
  1. Lichine, Alexis (1987). New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits (6th ed.). p. 233. ISBN 978-0304311248.
  3. Parsons, Brad Thomas (11 October 2016). Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas. Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale. ISBN 978-1-60774-749-9.
  4. "The "spirited" art of Fernet Branca's calendars". Italian Ways. 22 January 2014.
  5. Times, Gordon Kendall Special to The Roanoke (24 September 2019). "Good Libations: The Curious Case of Fernet Branca". Roanoke Times.
  6. "Frateli Branca Destilerías - Institucional". 31 May 2020. Con las migraciones italianas de fines del siglo XIX llegó Fernet Branca a la Argentina. Debido a su gran aceptación, la compañía decidió en 1925 que la empresa Hofer & C. de Buenos Aires -concesionaria exclusiva para la venta del famoso "amaro" italiano- elaborara la bebida a partir del extracto enviado desde la casa matriz italiana.
  7. Maier, Kathryn (27 December 2017). "Ten Fascinating Facts About Fernet-Branca We Learned During Its 'Storied Sips' Book Tour". Culture Truip. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  8. Beverage Media. Beverage Media, Limited. May 1999.
  9. Gian Luca Margheriti (2015). 101 tesori nascosti di Milano da vedere almeno una volta nella vita (in Italian). Rome: Newton Compton Editori. ISBN 9788854186125.
  10. Rathbun, A. J. (12 September 2007). Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-55832-336-0.
  11. Maier, Kathryn (27 December 2017). "Ten Fascinating Facts About Fernet-Branca We Learned During Its "Storied Sips" Book Tour". theculturetrip.com.
  12. Bruce-Gardyne, Tom (14 February 2017). "Fernet-Branca: a brand history". thespiritsbusiness.com.
  13. Allen, Gary (October 2010). The Herbalist in the Kitchen. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09039-4.
  14. "Fernet-Branca". Fratelli Branca.
  15. "The Secret Recipe". Fernet-Branca.
  16. "The Fuss About Fernet-Branca". Drink Spirits. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  17. Flack, Derek (23 August 2017). "Toronto's namesake cocktail is the best drink you've never had". blogTO.
  18. Caro, Rebecca. "Argentinean Mixology: Fernet and Coke". From Argentina With Love. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  19. Zanoni, Elizabeth (21 March 2018). Migrant Marketplaces: Food and Italians in North and South America. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-05032-9.
  20. Lahrichi, Kamilia (14 March 2017). "Argentina loves its Fernet, a bitter Italian liquor". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  21. Schuster, Amanda (12 September 2017). New York Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of over 100 Recipes Inspired by the Big Apple. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781604337297.
  22. Reilly, Laura (26 August 2016). "Why San Francisco Drinks More Fernet Than Anyone in America". Thrillist.
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