Ingredients

  • 1½ ozFernet-Branca(served neat at room temperature or slightly chilled)

🔧 Tools

jigger

Instructions

  1. Pour Fernet-Branca into shot glass
  2. Serve at room temperature (traditional) or slightly chilled
  3. Take as a single shot after dinner
  4. The intense bitterness gives way to cooling menthol
  5. Follow with espresso if desired (Italian tradition)

📜 History

Fernet-Branca was created in Milan in 1845 by Bernardino Branca using a secret recipe of 27 herbs and spices. Originally marketed as a medicine, it became Italy's beloved digestivo—the bitter shot that settles the stomach after a rich meal. The tradition spread to Argentina through Italian immigrants, where it's mixed with Coca-Cola. Among bartenders, ordering Fernet is a sign of industry kinship, a bitter handshake between professionals.