Fernet Branca & Branca Menta Recipes

[EvergreenDan]

Depends on if you want to be associated with a drink that isn't very brown and more herbal than bitter. We may have to take away your moniker if you don't publish more gin cocktails

I like gin.

[FrogPrincesse]

Don't Give Up the Ship

I was introduced to this drink by Sam Ross when he paid a visit to Noble Experiment earlier this year, and was happy to see it in the Bartender's Choice cocktail app. It's a harmonious mix of gin, sweet vermouth, fernet branca and curaçao. For some reason I decided to finish my bottle of Cointreau but did not have enough so I ended up using half Cointreau half Clement creole shrubb. Next time I will use the Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao. In any case, I liked the interplay between the fernet and the curaçao a lot.

Edited October 22, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Regarding Don't Give Up the Ship, I noticed that the recipes floating online seemed to differ quite a bit from the Bartender's Choice app version that I used. Most of the online versions call for Dubonnet and reduced amounts of curaçao and Fernet. For reference, the version I used had 1.5 oz gin and 0.5 oz each of sweet vermouth (I used Vya), curaçao and Fernet Branca.

I was curious about this and last night, while looking up this cocktail online, I found a detailed discussion of this drink on a local San Diego blog so I thought I would reference it here. It goes over various versions of this drink. In the end, when using sweet vermouth the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app seemed to work the best. Dubonnet worked better with Grand Marnier than with Cointreau, with the amounts of Fernet and Grand Marnier reduced to 0.25 oz.

[FrogPrincesse]

A year later almost to the day and here I am on this thread again. For some reason, the slightly cooler temperatures put me in Fernet mood. Going through Fernet cocktails in the Kindred Cocktails database I found this crazy thing called a Summer Hemingway. It does have some of the components of a Hemingway Daiquiri with the grapefruit juice, lime juice, and maraschino liqueur. But then the base liquor is Plymouth gin instead of white rum, and there is a generous and somewhat intimidating 1/2 oz Fernet float on top. There were no reviews on Kindred but since the recipe was originally published in StarChefs.com I thought that it could not be completely horrible.

Summer Hemingway
by Jeremy Strawn, Mulberry Project, NYC.
1 1/2 oz Gin, Plymouth
1 1/2 oz Grapefruit juice
3/4 oz Lime juice
3/4 oz Simple syrup
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur, Luxardo
1/2 oz Fernet Branca (as float)

Shake all but fernet, strain into a double old fashioned, float fernet.

--
Kindred Cocktails | Craft + Collect + Concoct + Categorize + Community

Surprisingly it does retain the main flavor characteristics of a Hemingway Daiquiri. It is crisp and refreshing with a layer of complexity. The mint/eucalyptus notes of the Fernet give it a great finish. And as an added bonus they seem to do wonders for my seasonal allergies thanks to a noticeable decongesting effect. (Yes it is scientifically proven to work better than Claritin).

I think that this easily goes into my list of favorite Fernet cocktails, together with the Hanky Panky and Don't Give up the Ship. Thanks Rafa for entering it into the Kindred Cocktails database where I was able to find it.

Edited October 21, 2013 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Rafa]

Thanks for being brave enough to review it. I've bumped it up in my to-try list.

[EvergreenDan]

Thanks for being brave enough to review it. I've bumped it up in my to-try list.

Wait. What? You're contributing cocktails that you haven't tried. We're watching you, bud.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks for being brave enough to review it. I've bumped it up in my to-try list.

Wait. What? You're contributing cocktails that you haven't tried. We're watching you, bud.

And apparently some of us trust him enough to try anything he enters into the database! (Ok, maybe not this one.)

[Rafa]

Thanks for being brave enough to review it. I've bumped it up in my to-try list.

Wait. What? You're contributing cocktails that you haven't tried. We're watching you, bud.

Wait, do you not? I have dozens of drinks in my cocktail book (not all of them uploaded by me, but still) that I haven't gotten around to making, due to not having all the ingredients at the time or whatever, but that I think look really good. I basically use KC as my master list of all cocktails I could or would want to make, by trusted or respected drinks mixers. Have I been using the site wrong? Besides all the obvious ways, I mean.

And apparently some of us trust him enough to try anything he enters into the database! (Ok, maybe not this one.)

No true cocktailian would neglect to try that masterpiece.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Rafa (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

And apparently some of us trust him enough to try anything he enters into the database! (Ok, maybe not this one.)

No true cocktailian would neglect to try that masterpiece.

Noted. Next time I see King Cocktail, I will make sure to ask him to make me one.

[Chris Amirault]

I'm holding out for the more definitive, precise Williamsburg version. What is up with all this generic "Brooklyn" shit? haven't any of you heard of terroir?

[FrogPrincesse]

I'm holding out for the more definitive, precise Williamsburg version. What is up with all this generic "Brooklyn" shit? haven't any of you heard of terroir?

As you can tell, we are all pretty clueless on this board without your input.

I went for bold & direct last night with David A. Embury's Toronto.

2 oz Bulleit rye, 3/4 oz Fernet-Branca, 1/4 simple syrup. This is much heavier on the Fernet than what Chris posted upthread. Lemon peel because that's all I had, but would have preferred orange.

On the first few sips, the Fernet is not as forward as I had imagined, but rather meshes well with the rye and augments its flavor instead of fighting with it. It's surprisingly tame, at least initially. As someone else wrote earlier, it is rather intriguing; as the flavor evolves you want to take another sip to find out where it is leading you. The Fernet does not become completely obvious until the end when it finally takes over. Nice cocktail.

[mkayahara]

One of my favourites, though I tend to make it with Canadian whisky (especially Alberta Premium Dark Horse) instead of US rye. I mean, it is named after Canada's largest city, right?

[FrogPrincesse]

One of my favourites, though I tend to make it with Canadian whisky (especially Alberta Premium Dark Horse) instead of US rye. I mean, it is named after Canada's largest city, right?

That sounds good. Unfortunately most of the Canadian whisky we get around here does not have much personality.

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night I had Misty Kalkofen's Hocus Pocus, inspired by Plantes Vertes in the Drinks thread. I used the ratios from this article so it's heavier on the Fernet.

With Junipero it was pretty intense. I would make it again with a different gin, probably Beefeater.

Edited January 31, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[mkayahara]

Last night I had Misty Kalkofen's Hocus Pocus, inspired by Plantes Vertes in the Drinks thread. I used the ratios from this article so it's heavier on the Fernet.

With Junipero it was pretty intense. I would make it again with a different gin, probably Beefeater.

How is it for sweetness? It seems like there's an awful lot of sugar in that glass, though a lot of other intense flavours, too.

[FrogPrincesse]

How is it for sweetness? It seems like there's an awful lot of sugar in that glass, though a lot of other intense flavours, too.

With Junipero it was pretty intense. I would make it again with a different gin, probably Beefeater.

You know, I was a bit worried about that too. So that's why I went with the Pierre Ferrand dry curaçao instead of Cointreau. Overall the drink did not taste too sweet. I think if you like a Martinez or a Hanky Panky, you will like this too.

[SylviaLovegren]

I'm holding out for the more definitive, precise Williamsburg version. What is up with all this generic "Brooklyn" shit? haven't any of you heard of terroir?

As you can tell, we are all pretty clueless on this board without your input.

I went for bold & direct last night with David A. Embury's Toronto.

2 oz Bulleit rye, 3/4 oz Fernet-Branca, 1/4 simple syrup. This is much heavier on the Fernet than what Chris posted upthread. Lemon peel because that's all I had, but would have preferred orange.

On the first few sips, the Fernet is not as forward as I had imagined, but rather meshes well with the rye and augments its flavor instead of fighting with it. It's surprisingly tame, at least initially. As someone else wrote earlier, it is rather intriguing; as the flavor evolves you want to take another sip to find out where it is leading you. The Fernet does not become completely obvious until the end when it finally takes over. Nice cocktail.

I made a batch of these (first time) for Super Bowl and, wow, strong buggers. All of us who tried it liked it, but opted for diluting it with seltzer or tonic. Buncha wimps, I guess.

[FrogPrincesse]

I went for bold & direct last night with David A. Embury's Toronto.

2 oz Bulleit rye, 3/4 oz Fernet-Branca, 1/4 simple syrup. This is much heavier on the Fernet than what Chris posted upthread. Lemon peel because that's all I had, but would have preferred orange.

I made a batch of these (first time) for Super Bowl and, wow, strong buggers. All of us who tried it liked it, but opted for diluting it with seltzer or tonic. Buncha wimps, I guess.

"Bold and direct" = strong, as you have found out. The kind of drink that you sip for a long while.

[haresfur]

Not terribly imaginative but a Dark and Stormy with added Fernet or Fernet in ginger beer have become staples in my house. Fernet-Stormy?

[Kerry Beal]

Not terribly imaginative but a Dark and Stormy with added Fernet or Fernet in ginger beer have become staples in my house. Fernet-Stormy?

"Dark and Minty"?

[Plantes Vertes]

We killed the rye with a couple of Torontos to celebrate my friend getting a job with Amnesty; his dream.

2oz rye

1/4oz Fernet Branca

1/4 oz simple

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Edited February 10, 2014 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

You drink your Torontos up? Wow. :-) That must be really intense.

I need an ice cube in mine, especially with 100 proof rye.

[Plantes Vertes]

I just stir forever.

One gets a weary arm.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

I did not care for this one at all - it's the dry version of the Hanky Panky, named the Kemble House (Beefeater gin, Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth, Fernet-Branca). It just tasted like Fernet diluted with gin.

 

 

[EvergreenDan]

I can't find the reference now, but someone suggested 50/50 Campari and Fernet. I tried it and found it a touch sweet and -- dare I admit it -- intense for me. Adding another equal part of dry vermouth turned it into a sort of dry minty Negroni. I liked it. Fernet has the ABV to pull this off.