When Argentines talk about Fernet, they are almost exclusively referring to Branca. The brand is often linked to the creation of the bitter digestif, and, while other international and domestic options are available, Branca is undoubtedly the local favorite. By 1941, demand for Branca was so strong that Branca-Fratelli (Fernet-Branca’s parent company) opened a factory in Buenos Aires. To this day, it remains the only one outside of its native Milan. Pour all liquid ingredients into shaker. Fill with as much ice as possible, shake, and pour over more ice. Garnish with sprig of fresh mint (always remember to spank it). Menta Mule

There’s a glorious California-born institution known as Philz Coffee (recently name-dropped hard on HBO’s Silicon Valley). They do many wonderful things with the coffee bean, with one rather unique item called the Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. It’s a refreshing, hand-shaken concoction with plenty of mint leaves. Usually, Branca Menta, like Fernet, is taken on its own as a digestif. It might be chilled or served over ice, but in any case, the sweeter, softer Menta lends itself better to sipping than shot-slamming. No chaser needed. In cooperation with Eataly and the museum services of the city of Turin, Fratelli Branca Distillerie has opened a museum devoted to the history of the Carpano brand and of vermouth. On the inhale, you mostly get strong, cooling mint oil, laced with a whiff of medicinal herbs. It’s actually pretty subtle, giving you only a preview of what’s about to come. Taste

from Branca world

Novare serbando"Renew but Conserve is the family motto that has guided Fratelli Branca throughout its history. And it is not a short history at all. Founded by Bernardino Branca in 1845 in Milan, over 160 years ago, the businesshas always been controlled by the Branca family, who has worked through the years to make Fernet Branca one of the most famous bitter liqueurs in the world. 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] History [ edit ] As mentioned, ginger beer is a go-to chaser for shots of Fernet Branca. I wasn’t sure how well the mint-heavy Branca Menta would work with ginger, but I wanted to try it out. I included aged rum and a healthy helping of Angostura as well. There was such a love for Fernet here that had been behind the bar for 40 years,” she tells me of the passing down of Fernet to new bartending generations. “The magic just started happening. I was doing probably 25 events a month with guys and girls promoting it and working with the distributor. I was so obsessed with it, there was so much passion, it was so contagious and all about the bartenders. I had 35-50 of the best bartenders in San Francisco and we just went crazy with it.” Fernet arrived on Argentina’s shores with a wave of Italian immigrants at the end of the 19th century. “In Italy, Fernet was traditionally consumed as a digestif after-dinner shot,” Cabral says. The bitter liqueur was also consumed as part of a Carajillo de Fernet — in which three dashes of Fernet are added to a morning espresso — or in a more refreshing form with soda water, he says. It was nearly a century before people started widely consuming Fernet with Coke, circa 1990.

To get a better overview, read the details of the best alternatives to Fernet Branca below. Each substitute has a short description and taste review to find the perfect replacement for your needs. Brancamenta is a variation of the famous Fernet Branca Amaro. The secret recipe includes 30 different herbs and spices that are enhanced with mint essential oil (menthol oil) and peppermint. And just like the original liqueur, it ages and matures for 12 months in oak vats before it's bottled. How does it taste 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]But an amaro like Fernet Branca doesn’t have to be a “bravado shot”, and for most, starting your Fernet journey with Fernet Branca is a mistake. Fernet Branca Menta (also known as Branca Menta) was created in the 1960s, inspired by a famous opera singer Maria Callas. The singer was known to drink Fernet Branca along with a touch of mint syrup before each performance. This preparation of Fernet Branca wasn’t uncommon as it was known to be served as a frappe (over crushed ice) with mint syrup, especially in the summer. The Fratelli Branca Distillerie recognized the popularity of this preparation and so they created Fernet Branca with mint, a spirit based on Fernet Branca but with more mint, less alcohol, and more sugar. The initial Fernet with mint was colored green (the actual mint oil added was clear). Fernet with mint ultimately morphed into Fernet Menta when the colorings were dropped and then ultimately to Branca Menta. 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. Ultimately, that doesn’t leave us with a whole lot of variety, does it? With something like 40 herbs and spices crammed into that minty little bottle, it seems like Branca Menta’s potential for mixing should reach much further. And it does. Tasting Notes Fratelli Branca Distillerie, thanks to the great and sharp intuition that has always distinguished it, decides to research and develop a drink suitable for every season, creating Brancamenta, a product that surprises its consumers and aficionados with its “thrill of intense pleasure ” at every sip. Still, when the good people at Branca sent over a bottle for me to play with, I wanted to get creative. So here are some new ways to mix up Branca Menta. They should help keep you cool as summer’s heat ascends. Menta Iced Coffee

Fernet is associated with going out and having a good time,” Argentine software engineer Agustín Gambina says. “And it’s a great alternative for those that don’t like to drink beer or wine.” In 2016, Hernán Mutti, head of marketing at Fratelli Branca, told Fortune, “We had to convince Argentina that this was the way to drink Fernet: to be shared between friends. It was being drunk behind closed doors; it wasn’t a friendly product.”

Review and Tasting

Budgets weren’t big but Cattani shifted samples, did discounts and held industry nights in dive bars, tying Fernet-Branca together with music and art: “I went to the places no-one else wanted to go.” With bartenders recommending the drink to their customers and an injection of budget in the early 2000s, she could do things on a much bigger scale, rewarding bars with parties, throwing huge Roaring 20s events and building the legacy of the Fernet-Branca we know today: “I had Fernet tunnel vision, all day, every day.” 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. Contrary to Fernet, Menta has a more syrupy feel. It coats the mouth with a bittersweet glaze, though I’d say the mint helps to prevent it from feeling too incredibly heavy. Finish It may have been born in Italy, but it has been bred around the world. Specifically, in 1860 it was commercialised in Argentina (where a majority of the population claimed Italian heritage) and a factory was opened in Buenos Aires in 1935. Fernet con Cola is now ubiquitous with Argentinian drinking culture – it’s said that Argentinians consume more than three times the amount consumed on home soil in Italy.