Fernet Branca (700 ml)

Bernardino Branca formulated Fernet Branca in Milan in 1845, and the recipe — 27 botanicals, sealed in a family vault — has remained unchanged since, a deliberate act of preservation that anchors every batch to the same 19th-century blueprint. The formula is produced at the historic Branca distillery on Via Resegone in Milan, where the city's hard limestone-filtered water has been part of the process from the beginning.

The botanical bill draws from four continents: myrrh from Ethiopia, gentian root from the Alps, rhubarb from China, galangal, chamomile, saffron, and peppermint among the disclosed ingredients. Each botanical is cold-macerated separately in neutral grain spirit before blending, preserving volatile aromatic compounds that heat extraction would destroy. The final blend rests in Slovenian oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months before bottling at 39% ABV.

What separates Fernet Branca from the broader amaro category is the extreme gentian-forward bitterness — uncut by the residual sweetness that softens most Italian amari — making it the reference point against which every subsequent fernet style is measured. Drink neat at room temperature or over a single large ice cube.