The Best Way To Drink Fernet If You're New To The Spirit

Maybe you've seen Fernet-Branca passed around at a dinner party or heard it referred to as a "bartender's handshake" — a drink people order to signal that they're also in the industry or just know their spirits. If your curiosity has been getting to you, it's time to give this amaro a go. Not only is it delicious, but its botanicals are believed to help with digestion, so it's perfect to have on hand for holiday entertaining. But how exactly do you imbibe this spirit? Fernet-Branca is an Italian amaro that has been made since 1845 with 27 different herbs, spices, and roots. It's famously bitter with intense tea-like notes and a minty quality — tasty and intriguing but potentially intimidating when you're first figuring out whether to drink it alone or mixed. The answer, according to an expert, is both.

"I will drink Fernet neat, on the rocks, or in a highball with Coca-Cola," says Saeed "Hawk" House, owner and bartender at Cocktails by Hawk LLC, which is also on Instagram and YouTube. "If you are new to Fernet, I would recommend trying it with Coke as it will tone down the aggressive, bitter, minty notes." Essentially, the first step to Fernet enjoyment is the highball, a drink with a debated history for its name but a clear composition: a spirit plus a mixer, usually carbonated. This way, there aren't too many ingredients clouding Fernet's flavors, but there's also something sweet and familiar to balance and round out its bitterness and boldness. 

Once you've made your entry into Fernet with cola, you'll have a feel for its flavors and might want to experience the amaro on its own. Think of the highball like Fernet-Branca training wheels: Now you're acclimated with its intensity and can start to savor the different botanical notes. Fernet is considered a digestif, which are a beloved after-dinner tradition — they feel like a special cap to a meal and can literally help you digest. They tend to be stronger, richer drinks that you have in small servings, and amari are popular choices because of their herbs, which prompted these liqueurs' main uses to be medicinal centuries ago. Enjoy Fernet's mouth-coating texture and hints of menthol, bitter orange, chamomile, cinnamon, cardamom, and more by drinking it chilled in a small digestif glass.

Finally, once completely familiar with Fernet's profile, you can start branching out with cocktails. There are ways to drink Fernet that will highlight its herbal quality, like making a different highball riff with ginger beer, whose spiciness will bring out the amaro's with some heat. For more complex options, try the Toronto, a Manhattan variation that mixes Fernet with rye whiskey, bitters, and simple syrup, or the hanky panky: Fernet with gin and sweet vermouth. You can also make Fernet spritzes with soda water or sparkling wine, orange juice, and other, brighter amari like Campari. Or, on that note, shots like the Ferrari, a 1:1 mix of Fernet and Campari.