In the latest issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine there is an article on Siena and at the conclusion of the article the author goes to a bistro and drinks a Fernet Branca. I have googled this and have read a description of it and its ingredients. Question: has anyone tried this beverage and can you give me an idea what it taste like? I would like to try it but doubt that I can find it here in Austin. Thanks, JW
I haven't personally tried it. One night after dinner in Venice, I was sipping grappa and a friend was drinking Fernet Branca. She said her Venetian friends claim it's the cure for just about anything. (That was as much as I wanted to know about its taste! )
I know there've been other threads on FB - the Find feature searching for 'fernet' should list a few for you.
{TOO FUNNY! I just did a search on it and read comments of my own from earlier this year - apparently I actually HAVE tasted Fernet Branca! LOL}
[This message was edited by Colleen on 18 August 2003 at 04:42 PM.]
Posts: 14516 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Slogojoe, what did you think of that issue? Is it good enough to pay the newstand price for the magazine, or just another ho-hum Italy theme? I asked on another thread, but the poster had apparently not read it.
Posts: 2054 | Location: Suburban Philadelphia | Registered: 08 July 2002
Fernet Branca is an Amaro, which means bitter..and it is!!! I remember our bartender at the five star hotel giving it to people with a hang over! It fixes anything..sort of an Italian draino for upset stomachs.. But some people like it, there are others too such as Cynar made from artichokes. It think that Montenegro is more palatable for non Amaro lovers.
quote:Originally posted by Mallory: Fernet Branca ---- I THINK that maybe decades ago there used to be ads for it here in the US....at least in the NY area.
I can confirm that Branca has a US branch or office of some kind. I set their cards and other documents ^____^ let me see... «F.lli Branca & Co. Inc. – 12/14 Desbrosses Street – New York (USA)» e «Branca Products Corp. – 12/14 Desbrosses Street – New York (USA)».
Alice Twain -- – Che peccato, signora: lei ha partorito e suo marito non c’era. – Oh, se è per quello non c’era nemmeno quando sono rimasta incinta! Leo Ortolani, Rat Man, “Il primogenito”
Thanks for everyones onput. I haven't yet had time to look for it here in Austin but you all ( I am from the South, you know) have given me several suggestions that have piqued my interest. The article to which I referred was a rather short article and not worth the newsstand cost of the magazine. If you can find the mag. at a bookstore the article can be read in about 15 minutes. Thanks again, JW
I worked in a 5 star hotel and we had Fernet Branca in the bar. I would suggest you try to find it somewhere to taste before you buy it! I love to drink,I love Campari-- but wouldn't ever buy Fernet Branca.
quote:Originally posted by Diva: but wouldn't ever buy Fernet Branca.
Not even for making bunet? ^____^
Alice Twain -- – Che peccato, signora: lei ha partorito e suo marito non c’era. – Oh, se è per quello non c’era nemmeno quando sono rimasta incinta! Leo Ortolani, Rat Man, “Il primogenito”
quote:Originally posted by Diva: Sorry, my bunet recipe doesn't call for Fernet!
Rum? I prefer it with the rather bitter taste of Fernet, but I do not like sweetes to be all that sweet.
Alice Twain -- – Che peccato, signora: lei ha partorito e suo marito non c’era. – Oh, se è per quello non c’era nemmeno quando sono rimasta incinta! Leo Ortolani, Rat Man, “Il primogenito”
quote:Originally posted by Diva: my recipes don't have alcohol...
AFAIK the characteristic of bunet is alchool: it is a "budino" with alcool. But I see from IHC memories that ther is also a recipe with no alchool! Me, I prefer it with some alchool: it is hard enough not to be able to drink: having sweets with no alchool is hell!
Alice Twain -- – Che peccato, signora: lei ha partorito e suo marito non c’era. – Oh, se è per quello non c’era nemmeno quando sono rimasta incinta! Leo Ortolani, Rat Man, “Il primogenito”
If I feel the need for a FB, I toss it back as fast as I can. Its not as foul tasting as UYnderbourg but it has much the same effect. It will get your insides moving really fast. One side effect is that one shouldn't stand too close to an open flame after drinking it!
Fernet Branca is some of the nastiest stuff ever bottled. When I was a bartender in San Francisco, Fernet was quite popular amongst topers of my acquaintance as a kill-em-or-cure-em hangover remedy. It is greenish-brown, thick, and unbelievably bitter, with an unforgettable "herbal" after-taste. Ugh. I shudder in the memory... Yrs, Robert
Posts: 827 | Location: Santa Monica, California | Registered: 23 March 2002
So the beat goes on. I did locate FB at Austin Wine and Spirits ($26/bottle) but after reading various comments I'm not sure I want to try it. We are going to Vespaio tonight (Austin Italian restarant of some repute locally) and maybe they will have it there. Thanks for all the comment and education. JW
quote:Originally posted by slogojoe: We are going to Vespaio tonight (Austin Italian restarant of some repute locally) and maybe they will have it there.
slogojoe, Did you get to try Fernet Branca last night? What did you think??
Posts: 14516 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Someone always has to just go that step too far. What's wrong with vegemite?
I'm assuming that Fernet Branca is not the digestif that is often offered at the end of a late night meal? Made with herbs? If it is, I still have a bottle of a Marche version, from the distillery in San Leo.
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