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Fernet

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Several brands of fernet sold in Argentina. From left to right: Cinzano, Luxardo, Ramazzotti, 1882, Branca and Martini.

Fernet (Italian pronunciation: [ferˈnɛt]) is an Italian type of amaro, a bitter, aromatic spirit. Fernet is made from a number of herbs and spices which vary according to the brand, but usually include myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and especially saffron,[1] with a base of distilled grape spirits.

Fernet is usually served as a digestif after a meal but may also be served with coffee and espresso or mixed into coffee and espresso drinks. It typically contains 45% alcohol by volume. It may be served at room temperature or with ice.

The Italian liqueur has a cult following in the international bartending community and is immensely popular in Argentina.[2] The South American country consumes more than 75% of all fernet produced globally[3] and because of its popularity, it has Fratelli Branca's only distillery outside of Italy.[2] As it is traditionally mixed with Coke, fernet has also contributed in making Argentina one of the biggest consumers of Coca-Cola in the world.[3] Fernet and Coke (Spanish: fernet con coca) is so ubiquitous in Argentina that it has been described as "the country's unofficial drink".[2]

Popularity

In Argentina

See also: Fernet con coca
Fernet con coca (English: Fernet and Coke), a cultural icon of Argentina

Fernet was introduced to Argentina by Italians during the Great European immigration wave to the country of the late 19th century and early 20th century.[4] It is particularly associated with Córdoba Province, which has been called "the world fernet capital"; almost 3 million litres are consumed there annually, representing just under 30 percent of national consumption.[5] National production is around 25 million liters, with 35% sold in Buenos Aires city and province.[6][7] Fernet-Branca is by far the most popular brand in the country, leading the market and reaching a "mythical" status among Argentines.[8] Other popular brands include 1882, Capri, Ramazzotti and Vittone.[5]

Fernet is commonly mixed with Coca-Cola, a mixed drink known as fernet con coca (Spanish for "fernet and Coke") or fernando.[8][9] While long available, the drink became much more popular in the mid-1980s, encouraged by advertisements of Fratelli Branca in TV stations with national scope,[10] its popularity growing steadily ever since.[11] Consumption of fernet increased greatly in the first decade of the 21st century.[4] By the early 2010s, the popularity of relatively inexpensive fernet was so high that many bars in Buenos Aires removed it from their menus to encourage sales of more expensive drinks.[4]

In the US

The drink has been popular in the San Francisco Bay Area since before Prohibition.[1] In 2008, San Francisco accounted for 25% of US consumption.[12] San Francisco bars usually serve fernet as a shot followed by a ginger ale chaser.[1]

In the Czech Republic

The Czech-manufactured Fernet Stock brand is popular in the Czech Republic, where[13] it is served as shots or as part of different cocktails.

Cocktails

Fernet can be mixed into cocktails, though the strong taste can overwhelm other ingredients. It can replace bitters in recipes; for instance, the Fanciulli cocktail is a Manhattan with fernet instead of Angostura bitters.[14]

The chef Fergus Henderson offers a recipe, entitled both "A Miracle" and "Dr. Henderson", that approximates Branca Menta (a fernet with menthols and peppermint), by combining two parts fernet with one part crème de menthe over ice. The recipe describes this cocktail as a cure for overindulgence.[15]

Fernet-Branca forms the titular subject of James Hamilton-Paterson's 2004 novel of Tuscany expatriate life, Cooking with Fernet Branca.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Cavalieri, Nate (2005-12-07). "The Myth of Fernet". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  2. ^ a b c Compton, Natalie B. (November 26, 2018). "How Fernet Took Over Argentina". Vice. Vice Media. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Lahrichi, Kamilia (March 14, 2017). "Argentina loves its Fernet, a bitter Italian liquor". CNN Travel. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Petovel, Pablo (1 January 2013). "Todo lo que hay que saber sobre el fernet" (in Spanish). Día a Día. Contenidos Mediterráneos. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b Marchetti, Nicolás (15 October 2015). "Eligieron el mejor fernet de Argentina y no es el que estás pensando" (in Spanish). La Voz del Interior. Clarín Group. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  6. ^ "El fenómeno fernet". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  7. ^ "Los argentinos vuelven al vermouth y al whisky importado". Clarín (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2008-02-14.
  8. ^ a b "EBranca reconoce que la mezcla de fernet con Coca nació en Córdoba" (in Spanish). La Voz del Interior. Clarín Group. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. ^ Rathbun, A. J. (2009). Dark Spirits: 200 Classy Concoctions Starring Bourbon, Brandy, Scotch, Whiskey, Rum and Morse. Harvard Common Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-55832-427-5.
  10. ^ "Promos y Publicidades Canal 9 Argentina (1987/88)" – via www.youtube.com.
  11. ^ Vecino, Diego. "Fernet: una historia de amor argentina". Conexión Brando. La Nación. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  12. ^ Curtis, Wayne (November 2008). "The Bitter Beginning: Learning to love a bracing Italian liqueur". The Atlantic.
  13. ^ "O Společnosti - Stock Spirits". www.stock.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  14. ^ Felten, Eric (2009-01-03). "Making Bitter Fernet-Branca Much Easier to Swallow". Wall Street Journal.
  15. ^ Henderson, Fergus (April 2004). The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. Ecco. ISBN 0-06-058536-6.
  16. ^ Michael Dibdin (2004-06-19). "Strange brew". The Guardian.
  • Media related to Fernet at Wikimedia Commons
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