Fernet-Branca 35%

Fernet Branca has been made at the Fratelli Branca distillery in Milan to a secret family recipe since 1845. This bittersweet herbal liqueur is built on a blend of twenty seven herbs, plants and spices, among them gentian, saffron, myrrh, camomile and elderflower, which give it a powerful, natural yet spicy character. It matures for over a year in handmade oak barrels in the old vaulted cellars, and is bottled at 35%.

The nose is intense with gentian and myrrh over warm saffron and cinnamon and a hint of camomile and elderflower, the palate full bodied and spicy with complex herbs unified in a harmonious bitterness and a fine oak and spice nuance, the finish long and warm. That depth and bitterness is the point behind the bar, cutting sweetness and lending a herbal backbone and length to a drink. Take it neat or over ice to feel the full herbal complexity, or stir it into classics such as a Fernet and Coke or a Negroni where its bitterness anchors the glass.