Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

3 Essential Fernet Cocktails To Make at Home

By

Not many spirits inspire quite the response that Fernet does. The dark Italian amaro has long been adored by bartenders and certain corners of the world for its incredibly distinctive profile. But for every soul who loves the stuff, there seems to be an equal or greater number of folks who find Fernet utterly repulsive.

The flavor is a bit polarizing and part of the draw is the secret recipe, something quite common among European amaro. It is wildly bitter, with notes of menthol, anise, and fresh-plucked herbs. Fernet is a witches’ brew of chamomile, cardamom, rhubarb, aloe, saffron, and more atop a base of grape spirits. It pours nearly opaque and remains popular among industry types, ever-thirsty for a post-shift drink that’s anything but ordinary.

Recommended Videos

An estimated three-quarters of all Fernet is consumed in Argentina. The South American nation is obsessed with throwing it in a glass with some Coke, or with some coffee or espresso after a meal. Several brands are in orbit with the most popular and iconic being Fernet-Branca. The brand is headquartered is Milan but thanks to all the love it gets in Argentina, has one additional distillery in Buenos Aires.

Fernet-Branca Manhattan Cocktail on Table
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you have bartender friends, you’ve probably already sipped the stuff straight. It’s been a go-to and invigorating pour within the drinks inner-circle for a couple of decades now. But Fernet also mixes well, if you’re careful. It plays well with ingredients like ginger (try it in a Moscow Mule) as well as citrus (also try it with gin or in place of gin in a Tom Collins).  If the flavor is for you, try it with a splash of soda water. If Fernet is too fierce for you, experiment with adding a dose or two to your favorite coffee drink as the roasted beans can take some of the sting out of the stuff.

Related: 
Upgrade your daily routine with the best smartwatches for men

Here are a few more cocktails to consider as you learn your away around the cultish amaro:

Fernet Manhattan

This riff on the classic cocktail demonstrates how a little Fernet can go a long way in the glass. It matches well with bourbon but does especially well alongside a sweet and aromatic vermouth.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz bourbon  
  • 1 oz Antica Formula  
  • .25 oz Fernet-Branca  

Method:

In a mixing glass half-filled with ice, combine the bourbon, Antica Formula and Fernet-Branca. Stir until chilled, about 30 seconds. Garnish with a preserved cherry. 

Fernet Old Fashioned

Tempering Fernet can sometimes be an issue but nothing a little sweetness can’t handle. Here, the sugar cube does the heavy lifting, rounding out Fernet’s edgier side.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Rye or Bourbon 
  • .25 oz Fernet-Branca 
  • 1 sugar cube 

Method:

In the bottom of a rocks glass, muddle the sugar cube and Fernet-Branca. Add rye or bourbon and a large ice cube and stir until chilled. Garnish with an orange twist.  

Hanky Panky

Gin and Fernet combine to create an extremely fragrant cocktail here, one you can leisurely sniff and enjoy as the many layers meld over time.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Fernet-Branca 
  • 1.5 oz gin 
  • .75 oz Antica Formula Vermouth 

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a glass.

Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

Sweet and tasty cocktails to make with your chocolate whiskey
Chocolate and whiskey is a classic combination - why not put them in one drink?
Love Bomb

Whiskey can be a love it or hate it sort of spirit. With its high abv, strong flavors, and often heavily peated notes, it's the kind of drink that some people are immediately drawn to while others find difficult to handle. If you're in the latter group, though, don't assume that all whiskeys are heavy peat bombs that you'll never enjoy.

There's a growing group of high quality flavored whiskeys available on the market now. These aren't the overly sweet Fireball-esque concoctions of your youth, but a more nuanced take on whiskey with careful additions that can be more welcoming to new drinkers. Options like Cocoa Bomb Chocolate Whiskey might appeal to those with a hankering for some chocolate goodness, and we have recipes for how to use this spirit in cocktails.
Love Bomb
Ingredients:

Read more
Whiskey can be for springtime too, as these easy to make cocktails show
Get out your fruits and your berries, as we're mixing for spring
Bear Fight Whiskey

Spring is officially here, at least in my area where the sun has been shining and the winter cold is finally (finally!) dissipating. That means it's time for spring cocktails, and some of the hottest cocktail trends for this time of year include bright colors and fresh fruits. That might sound like you'll be looking to spritzes, or perhaps clear spirits like gin or vodka, and certainly those can make for some delicious drinks.

But you can also turn these trends to the world of whiskey, which can happily be mixed with these on-trend flavors too. These cocktails from Bear Fight Whiskey for spring include options using either single malt or bourbon as you prefer.
Bear Fight Espresso Martini
Ingredients:

Read more
These are the cocktails to make with your high-end craft sakes
Sake is traditionally drunk neat - but you can mix it into cocktails too
Lavendaze

Sake is a beautiful drink, but one that some people can be intimidated by. While it's traditionally drunk neat, you should feel free to experiment with using it in cocktails too, as its delicate flavors can add a unique note to your drinks.

If you're unsure where to start, then craft sake brand Origami Sake has some suggested recipes to try, from delicate florals for spring from lavender syrup to a fun margarita variation which uses sake instead of tequila. There's also an unusual mocktail option which combines sophisticated flavors with Origami's non-alcoholic sake, making use of lots of fresh fruit juices to add zing and flavor.

Read more