Fernet Branca

Amaro dates all the way back to ancient Greek and Roman times when it would have been more of an herb-infused wine. Amaro is traditionally made by infusing grape brandy with a (usually secret) mix of herbs, flowers, aromatic bark, citrus peel, and spices—a blend that can include anything from cardamom to elderberry flowers.

Then it’s sweetened with sugar syrup and aged, sometimes for years. It’s silky, like a liqueur; bitter and sweet in varying degrees; aromatically complex; and, as far as I’m concerned, both delicious and fascinating.

Fernet Branca is a renowned, intensely herbal Italian bitter (amaro) created in 1845, widely used as a digestif. It features a secret recipe of 27 herbs and spices. It features a secret recipe of 27 herbs and spices—such as saffron, chamomile, and gentian—aged in Slovenian oak for over a year. Noted for its high abv (39%), medicinal, bitter taste, and high pop, Italy in 1845 by Bernardino Branca.

• • Profile: Intensely bitter, aromatic, and spicy, with deep woody notes, menthol aftertaste, and a dry finish.
  • Ingredients: Contains 27 herbs and spices from around the world, including gentian root, rhubarb, chamomile,saffron, cardamom, aloe, and myrrh.
  • Consumption: Commonly enjoyed as a digestive after meals, served chilled, or neat, but it is famously paired with cola in Argentina and used in high-end cocktails.
  • Status: It has achieved cult status among bartenders, often referred to as “the bartender’s handshake”