When Argentines talk about Fernet, they are almost exclusively referring to Branca. The brand is often linked to the creation of the bitter digestif, and, while other international and domestic options are available, Branca is undoubtedly the local favorite. By 1941, demand for Branca was so strong that Branca-Fratelli (Fernet-Branca’s parent company) opened a factory in Buenos Aires. To this day, it remains the only one outside of its native Milan. Usually, Branca Menta, like Fernet, is taken on its own as a digestif. It might be chilled or served over ice, but in any case, the sweeter, softer Menta lends itself better to sipping than shot-slamming. No chaser needed. In the early ’90s, Branca noticed the growing popularity of Fernet and Coke in Cordoba and saw a potentially lucrative opportunity. It launched a series of national advertising campaigns actively encouraging the combination, hoping that Argentines would drink it outside the home, in bars and nightclubs. Budgets weren’t big but Cattani shifted samples, did discounts and held industry nights in dive bars, tying Fernet-Branca together with music and art: “I went to the places no-one else wanted to go.” With bartenders recommending the drink to their customers and an injection of budget in the early 2000s, she could do things on a much bigger scale, rewarding bars with parties, throwing huge Roaring 20s events and building the legacy of the Fernet-Branca we know today: “I had Fernet tunnel vision, all day, every day.” Due to the popularity of Fernet con coca, as the Fernandito also is called, the brand sells vast amounts of its liqueur in Latin American countries.

There’s a glorious California-born institution known as Philz Coffee (recently name-dropped hard on HBO’s Silicon Valley). They do many wonderful things with the coffee bean, with one rather unique item called the Mint Mojito Iced Coffee. It’s a refreshing, hand-shaken concoction with plenty of mint leaves.Still, when the good people at Branca sent over a bottle for me to play with, I wanted to get creative. So here are some new ways to mix up Branca Menta. They should help keep you cool as summer’s heat ascends. Menta Iced Coffee Brancamenta was born in the ’60s, a period characterized by great changes, by an economic boom, by a new way of life – more individualistic and less conformist – and, consequently, by great desires for novelties, even in taste and flavours. Fratelli Branca Distillerie, thanks to the great and sharp intuition that has always distinguished it, decides to research and develop a drink suitable for every season, creating Brancamenta, a product that surprises its consumers and aficionados with its “thrill of intense pleasure ” at every sip. Perhaps equally bizarre is that Fratelli Branca remains family-run, under the fifth-generation Count Niccolò Branca di Romanico, whose two children also work in the business. There are regular unsolicited offers to buy the firm, but there is no interest in selling. Instead Fratelli Branca has been busy gobbling up other brands including Carpano, said to be the first ever vermouth. 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] Formulation [ edit ] Fernet and Coke, common in Uruguay and Argentina

Sales topped 47m litres last year, and are still growing, Olianas says. As a result, “our benchmark in Argentina is now wine and beer, it’s no longer spirits”. He has obviously contemplated how to replicate the success in other markets, but wonders whether the conditions in Argentina were somehow unique, what with the long-established distillery and the millions of emigré Italians.Fernet arrived on Argentina’s shores with a wave of Italian immigrants at the end of the 19th century. “In Italy, Fernet was traditionally consumed as a digestif after-dinner shot,” Cabral says. The bitter liqueur was also consumed as part of a Carajillo de Fernet — in which three dashes of Fernet are added to a morning espresso — or in a more refreshing form with soda water, he says. It was nearly a century before people started widely consuming Fernet with Coke, circa 1990. When preparing a classic Fernet and Coke, “people don’t use standard measurements like a bartender might,” Varela says. For this reason, they offer two ratios at La Fernetería: 70:30 (Coke:Fernet), and 50:50. “People that are accustomed to drinking it at home are used to a stronger pour,” he says, “so most will prefer 50:50.” Contrary to Fernet, Menta has a more syrupy feel. It coats the mouth with a bittersweet glaze, though I’d say the mint helps to prevent it from feeling too incredibly heavy. Finish Fernet Branca is by far the most popular representative of the Fernet category. It tastes very bitter and herbal, with a strong taste of mint and anise. But how can you replace Fernet Branca if you don't have it at home?