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Fernet Branca, the 'liqueur of Hades'

Salon is running a fun piece on one of my new favorite spirits (new to me, not new to planet Earth), Fernet Branca:

Fernet Branca's intense effect on the palate is largely due to its extreme bitterness, though the drink also contains, among other exotic herbs, myrrh, gentian root, saffron, zedoary, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and something called cinchona (the exact formula is kept strictly secret). San Francisco Weekly called it "black-licorice flavored Listerine," Robert Misch, the former head of the Wine and Food Society of New York called it the "liqueur of Hades" and wrote that drinking it is "like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer," and Betsy von Furstenberg was suspended from Actor's Equity in 1960 after secretly putting it into Tony Randall's onstage drink.

At a recent dinner party, I served up a basic Fernet Branca cocktail - FB, gin, and sweet vermouth - and it was the surprise hit of the bar. The moral of the story is: if it is called "liqueur of Hades," get behind it, people.

Posted By Scotto at 2010-04-04 13:38:56 permalink | comments
Tags: fernet branca alcohol
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Bill in SF. : 2010-04-22 14:20:08
Nothing magic about it, just interesting. It's somewhat like a less sweet Jaegermeister.
Sheldon. : 2010-04-05 05:28:07
there are lots of boutique-y liquers over here in Europe, my favorite so far is Satyr, which definitely shares some nasty overlap with this weirdo dark-forest stuff. something very narcotic in there...
Gwyllm. : 2010-04-04 19:37:38
a long time favourite at Caer Llwydd. Goes well with a dash of soda water, a slice of lemon.

Scotto, if you ever get south with James, come over for some Absinthe!

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