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Type | Amaro or bitters ( fernet) |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Fratelli Branca Distillerie |
Country of origin | Milan, Italy |
Introduced | 1845 |
Alcohol by volume | 39% |
Flavour | Bitter |
Website |
www![]() |
Fernet-Branca (Italian: [ferˌnɛtˈbraŋka]) is an Italian brand of fernet, a style of amaro or bitters. It was formulated in Milan in 1845, and is manufactured there by Fratelli Branca Distillerie. [1]
Fernet-Branca was formulated in Milan, Italy, in 1845 by a self-taught herbalist, Bernardino Branca, who with his sons set up a business to manufacture and sell it. [2] It was marketed as a pick-me-up and as a cure for worms, for fever, for cholera, [3] and for menstrual pain. [2] From 1886 the company published annual calendars with works by well-known artists. [4] The eagle-and-globe logo was designed in 1893 by Leopoldo Metlicovitz. [5]
The company began exporting to Argentina in 1907, and in 1925 established a distillery in Buenos Aires. [6] In the United States the drink became popular after the passage of prohibition laws in 1919, as it was sold in pharmacies as a medicinal product. [7] [2] By 1936 Branca had set up a branch office in Tribeca, New York, to satisfy American demand. [2] [8] Production in the United States peaked at 60,000 cases in 1960. [2]
Fernet-Branca is produced according to the original recipe of 1845. [9]: 36 [a] It is made from 27 herbs and other ingredients; [10] the exact formula is a trade secret. Sources have reported that its recipe includes Chinese rhubarb, Aloe ferox (bitter aloe), cinchona, chocolate, [11] quinine, [12] and angelica. [13] According to the Branca website, the drink contains " ... rhubarb from China, gentian from France, galanga from India or from Sri Lanka, (and) chamomile from Europe [or] Argentina", [14] as well as linden (Tiliae flos), iris, saffron, zedoary, myrrh, and cinchona. [15]
Fernet-Branca has a higher alcohol content, at 39%, and lower sugar content than most other amari. [16] It is aged in oak barrels for a year. [16]
The manufacturer also offers a sweeter, mint-flavoured liqueur, Branca Menta.
Fernet-Branca is often consumed neat as a digestif, or as a mixing component (usually supportive and not as the primary ingredient) in cocktails such as the Toronto. [17]
In Argentina fernet con coca–Fernet-Branca with Coca-Cola–is a popular drink. [18] [19] Some sources report that over 75% of all fernet produced worldwide is consumed there. [20]
In the United States it has been referred to as "The Bartender's Handshake". [16] [21] It is estimated that 35% of all Fernet-Branca imported into the US is consumed in San Francisco. [22]
Con las migraciones italianas de fines del siglo XIX llegó Fernet Branca a la Argentina. Debido a su gran aceptación, la compañía decidió en 1925 que la empresa Hofer & C. de Buenos Aires -concesionaria exclusiva para la venta del famoso "amaro" italiano- elaborara la bebida a partir del extracto enviado desde la casa matriz italiana.
![]() | |
Type | Amaro or bitters ( fernet) |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Fratelli Branca Distillerie |
Country of origin | Milan, Italy |
Introduced | 1845 |
Alcohol by volume | 39% |
Flavour | Bitter |
Website |
www![]() |
Fernet-Branca (Italian: [ferˌnɛtˈbraŋka]) is an Italian brand of fernet, a style of amaro or bitters. It was formulated in Milan in 1845, and is manufactured there by Fratelli Branca Distillerie. [1]
Fernet-Branca was formulated in Milan, Italy, in 1845 by a self-taught herbalist, Bernardino Branca, who with his sons set up a business to manufacture and sell it. [2] It was marketed as a pick-me-up and as a cure for worms, for fever, for cholera, [3] and for menstrual pain. [2] From 1886 the company published annual calendars with works by well-known artists. [4] The eagle-and-globe logo was designed in 1893 by Leopoldo Metlicovitz. [5]
The company began exporting to Argentina in 1907, and in 1925 established a distillery in Buenos Aires. [6] In the United States the drink became popular after the passage of prohibition laws in 1919, as it was sold in pharmacies as a medicinal product. [7] [2] By 1936 Branca had set up a branch office in Tribeca, New York, to satisfy American demand. [2] [8] Production in the United States peaked at 60,000 cases in 1960. [2]
Fernet-Branca is produced according to the original recipe of 1845. [9]: 36 [a] It is made from 27 herbs and other ingredients; [10] the exact formula is a trade secret. Sources have reported that its recipe includes Chinese rhubarb, Aloe ferox (bitter aloe), cinchona, chocolate, [11] quinine, [12] and angelica. [13] According to the Branca website, the drink contains " ... rhubarb from China, gentian from France, galanga from India or from Sri Lanka, (and) chamomile from Europe [or] Argentina", [14] as well as linden (Tiliae flos), iris, saffron, zedoary, myrrh, and cinchona. [15]
Fernet-Branca has a higher alcohol content, at 39%, and lower sugar content than most other amari. [16] It is aged in oak barrels for a year. [16]
The manufacturer also offers a sweeter, mint-flavoured liqueur, Branca Menta.
Fernet-Branca is often consumed neat as a digestif, or as a mixing component (usually supportive and not as the primary ingredient) in cocktails such as the Toronto. [17]
In Argentina fernet con coca–Fernet-Branca with Coca-Cola–is a popular drink. [18] [19] Some sources report that over 75% of all fernet produced worldwide is consumed there. [20]
In the United States it has been referred to as "The Bartender's Handshake". [16] [21] It is estimated that 35% of all Fernet-Branca imported into the US is consumed in San Francisco. [22]
Con las migraciones italianas de fines del siglo XIX llegó Fernet Branca a la Argentina. Debido a su gran aceptación, la compañía decidió en 1925 que la empresa Hofer & C. de Buenos Aires -concesionaria exclusiva para la venta del famoso "amaro" italiano- elaborara la bebida a partir del extracto enviado desde la casa matriz italiana.