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Fernet-Branca
Amaro — Lombardia, Italy
Reviewed
September 21, 2020 (edited September 1, 2022)
Appearance: Transparent black-brown. Like a cup of weak drip-filter coffee. Against a strong light or a white background it's more like dark sienna.
Aroma: Menthol, peppermint, incense resin (frankincense, myrrh), pyrethrum daisies, licorice root.
Flavour and Texture: On arrival, at the front of the mouth, Fernet is quite sweet with a deep earthy herbal quality. However almost instantly an intense mentholated mint note develops which, if you are not used to this liqueur, will seem disarmingly like mint-flavoured toothpaste. This is followed by a bitter tang that betrays the presence of gentian, quinine and bitter aloes. The palate is very long and singular, but after a while it gains an earthy sweetness that is like bittersweet sarsparilla. The texture is full but not syrupy.
Fernet is an acquired taste. Boy, is it an acquired taste. On first acquaintance you *will* compare it to cough drops, toothpaste, mouthwash - in fact anything that is overwhelmingly minty and herbal. It's not unlike spearmint flavoured Fisherman's Friend cough lozenges with added bitterness.
That probably sounds awful and if you do taste this and recoil in horror don't worry because you are in good company - most people dislike it the first time. However this genuinely is an acquired taste.
The classic way to take Fernet-Branca is neat as a digestif. It can also be used as the bitter note in cocktails but a little goes a very long way and it is nowhere near as adaptable as other amari because it always takes charge.
In Argentina they drink Fernet & Coke which is pleasant, and if you also add some orange bitters and a slice of orange it becomes vaguely like chinotto. Personally my preferred way to take it is as a very small amount added to highly sweetened Greek coffee.
“Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)
70.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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@Cascode blind tastings have always been a blast, the Elderflower Fever Tree is a tonic I'd consider drinking w/out gin, it's that interesting and mellow, but usually I depend on gin to offset the medicinal quality of quinine in tonic, I've just convinced my local store to carry more tonics and have a few to try.
@BeppeCovfefe If you want to have a fun tasting do a blind tonic water tasting with a group of friends who like gin & tonic. Seriously. I hosted one a couple of years ago and it was a fantastic day. Pick a dozen tonics and taste them blind (someone has to manage this for you) in groups of 4, then shootout the winner from each group. Taste them neat and then taste them blind again but this time with a measured dash of gin. I guarantee you'll be surprised by the results.
@ContemplativeFox no I'm serious, if not for those two things, I might like it, ha! Good news I have two new tonic waters and they are both fantastico, gonna update them on my Botanist gin review.
@BeppeCovfefe Haha! 'This would be great if only it's two main flavors were removed!'
aside from two of my least favorite things to find in booze, (menthol and anise) this sounds wonderful, probably going to stick with my tonic and gin for the moment at least.
@Cornmuse It's like Turkish coffee (but don't say that to a Greek if you value your life 🙂). Made with finely ground coffee that is boiled in water in a small cup-sized pot, either with added sugar or without. Served in a small cup, about 1/4 of the cup ends up being sludgy coffee grounds. Thick, hearty, very strong - it's like espresso on steroids.
Great review on a challenging liquer. I agree about this being an acquired taste - it's one I've developed myself. I sip this neat. I haven't really tried it in a cocktail other than a coke highball. I need to know, what's a greek coffee?
@ContemplativeFox Oh, don't take my words as gospel. It's just one old dude's opinion, that's all. I'm sure many folks with excellent palates have tried this and can't stand it!
This was a bit much for me back when I tried it, but they have minis readily available, so I'd better give it another shot :)