The other night the Panther was out on the town with a visiting friend from lovely San Francisco. At one stop, the San Franciscan ordered a round of
Fernet Branca for the group. No one else in the group had ever had this herbal digestif before and thought it an odd choice for our friend to order a round. He informed us that Fernet Branca is very popular in San Francisco. So popular, in fact, that several bars actually have this concoction on tap.
We received our glasses of Fernet Branca. It was a dark espresso colored liquid. I swirled it in my glass and noticed it was slightly thick. I leaned in and sniffed it and liked the herby, almost medicinal scent that filled my nose. We all clinked glasses and gave it a try. The table's reaction was mostly a loud "ugh" followed by slamming the glasses back down on the table and pushing them away while simultaneously pulling back their heads and grimacing their faces. All except the San Franciscan and myself. He just sipped and savored the drink. I, on the other hand, was not immediately enamoured with this beverage, but the flavor was complex and interesting and I was trying to figure it out.
Fernet Branca is a distilled grape spirit flavored with over 40 herbs. The recipe varies by manufacturer but it always contains myrrh, rhubarb, chammomile, saffron, and aloe. The drink was invented in Italy in the 1800's but has not always been popular there. Upon it's invention it received a negative reaction from the inventor's family so he instead marketed it as a remedy for everything from menstrual discomfort to a hangover cure. The drink later made it to the United States and gained popularity here during prohibition when it was still sold as medicine, not as an alcoholic beverage.
Today it is extremely popular in Argentina. Fernet Branca in Cola is the national drink of Argentina. It is also popular in Germany where it is often mixed with Red Bull. For whatever reason, Fernet Branca is wildly popular in San Francisco. The city is responsible for 25% - 35% of the US consumption of this drink. According to my friend, in San Francisco it is most often served as a shot with a ginger ale chaser.
I was happy to be introduced to this fascinating, complex drink. I cannot say I have acquired a taste for it after one drink but I do want to give it another try.
Bottoms up!
-The Panther
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