Fernet, It's Not Just For Shots Anymore (Story and Recipes)

Photo from Wikipedia

By Meesha Halm

Of all the trends and favorite drinks that we’ve touched upon during Mixology Week, there remains only one “it” drink in San Francisco - Fernet-Blanca, at least according to bar insiders. “Bitter is king right now,” declares Kevin Diedrich, bar manager of Jasper’s Corner Tap and Kitchen, “and Fernet is it's ambassador.” Northern California accounts for approximately 40 percent of all Fernet-Branca sales in the United States but the Bay Area’s love affair with it isn’t exactly new. Fernet has been the preferred “end-of-the-shift-drink” for many years now and historians surmise that our connection to the botanical-based spirit dates back to Prohibition. Want to know the secret to getting great service at a bar? Order Fernet-Blanc, one of the Jupiter folks told us at a recent San Francisco Cocktail Week event. It’s like discovering the secret handshake. Going to a bartender’s house after hours? Chances are they'll pull a bottle of Fernet out of the freezer.

For the uninitiated, mockingly referred to as "Fergins," the taste of this menthol-scented Italian bitter or amaro, can be off-putting, Diedrich acknowledges. “I love using Fernet in smaller douses to give cocktails a bitter edge with a touch of complexity. It's still an aggressive flavor for your average guest, so I like to ease them into.” Traditionally it's been served straight up but Diedrich confirms, "Fernet, it’s not just for shots anymore. In its adolescence stage, it was served shot after shot chased by some ginger ale.” For a while it became a thing because San Francisco was the first city to pour it on tap. But nowadays, Fernet has matured. Diedrich explains "it's making its way into cocktails as replacement to bitters, as a rinse and even as a base spirit. We’re seeing a lot of requests for 'brown and bitter cocktails.” 

Brian Means of the Fifth Floor is also a fan of using Fernet as an alternative to bitters because it “provides a little bit of sweetness so you can still make a spirit driven cocktail without adding extra sugar." However, he’s quick to point out that not all Fernet is Fernet-Blanca. “Fernet can be very versatile from being very light (Czech fernet) to super aromatic with spearmint (Colorado fernet). Still, the Italian Fernet-Blanca is the classic and that’s what most people expect when they order it.” At the Fifth Floor, Means makes a Manhattan with Rittenhouse Rye, Carpano Antica, Fernet and agave. In the past, the restaurant offered a Fernet trio - Fernet ice cream, a shot of Fernet Jelinek (Czech Fernet) and a cocktail called the Fernet for All with Leopolds Fernet (from Colorado), Russell’s 6-year Rye and crème de cacao. The Fernet for All became so popular that it is still available at the bar by request.

You can also find Fernet-Blanca and its other brethren straight up and mixed into cocktails at loads of San Francisco bars including Hobson’s Choice, Dr. Teeth & the Mayhem, Bourbon & Branch, Grand Café, Harry Denton's Starlight Room, Scala's Bistro and Per Diem. 

Want to try to your hand making a Fernet cocktail at home? Try whipping up one of these off-the-menu cocktails from Jasper’s Corner Tap and Kitchen. Kevin Dietrich’s Aged Hanky Panky and Alison Webber’s Il Palio (aka Fernet Swizzle) are only available by request and in limited quantities at the restaurant but we got them to give us the recipes. Let us know what you think if you give them a try. Share it with the hashtag #drinksweek.

Aged Hanky Panky, courtesy of Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen
1.5 oz gin
1.5 oz sweet vermouth
.25 oz Fernet

Stir all ingredients together, and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Il Palio aka Fernet Swizzle, courtesy of Jasper's Corner Tap & Kitchen
1 oz Fernet
1 oz Torani Amer
1 oz Carpano Antica
1/2 small hand of grenadine

Build in glass, fill with crushed ice and top with prosecco. Add a full spiral orange twist for garnish.