DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 It wouldn't be a Cole née Schenone big fat Italian gorge fest without an injection of Fernet Branca afterwards, 'specially 'round the holidays.It seems to be prohibited or otherwise unavailable for sale in VA, whereas you can't walk into a state liquor store where I grew up (outside Philly) without tripping over the stuff.Anyone know if it's available anywhere near the district? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I believe I picked up my bottle at Ace Beverage. It is tasty stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 I believe I picked up my bottle at Ace Beverage.It is tasty stuff! My grandmother used to give it to my dad whenever he had a stomach ache or indigestion. I use it for the same thing (plus hangovers). Goes great with coffee or ice cream. Try a fernet + coke + a few scoops of vanilla. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Blech! FB is vile. There are plenty of amaros available that are actually delicious: Rammasotti, Averna, Monte Negro, Amaro Nonino, to name a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Blech! FB is vile. There are plenty of amaros available that are actually delicious: Rammasotti, Averna, Monte Negro, Amaro Nonino, to name a few. Second. What is in that stuff--pine tar and cod liver oil? On your advice a couple of Thanksgivings ago, I bought some Monte Negro for my visiting BIL, who likes Fernet Branca, and he thought it didn't taste medicinal enough. And we had Amaro Nonino at Citronelle, when we were there for my birthday dinner. That one has to be the most delicious amaro on the planet! The bartender at Corduroy made a "special " Manhattan with Carpano Antica Formula vermouth and Fernet Branca, which my husband ordered--I tasted it and thought that the FB absolutely ruined the drink. Feh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Second. What is in that stuff--pine tar and cod liver oil? On your advice a couple of Thanksgivings ago, I bought some Monte Negro for my visiting BIL, who likes Fernet Branca, and he thought it didn't taste medicinal enough. And we had Amaro Nonino at Citronelle, when we were there for my birthday dinner. That one has to be the most delicious amaro on the planet! The bartender at Corduroy made a "special " Manhattan with Carpano Antica Formula vermouth and Fernet Branca, which my husband ordered--I tasted it and thought that the FB absolutely ruined the drink. Feh. Monte Negro is sweeter then Fernet, almost liqueur-like. I really wouldn't compare the two. I've had some very nice amari at Dino's that were an education for me, but if you want a big, herbal, alcoholic kick, few things can replace Fernet, except perhaps Underberg. (ETA: The tariness against a somewhat minty background is what I like about it and is not present in the same way in other bitters.) I agree with Dan that it's an excellent stomach calmer, which is usually the only reason I ever drink it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Blech! FB is vile. There are plenty of amaros available that are actually delicious: Rammasotti, Averna, Monte Negro, Amaro Nonino, to name a few. I guess I will add to the voices that agree with Mr. Slater. Vile does not begin to describe my feelings towards Fernet. Rammazotti is available at Virginia ABC stores (if not on the shelf the manager can order you a bottle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Riley Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Rammazotti is available at Virginia ABC stores (if not on the shelf the manager can order you a bottle). .....(whistles innocently to self).......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Blech! FB is vile. There are plenty of amaros available that are actually delicious: Rammasotti, Averna, Monte Negro, Amaro Nonino, to name a few.If it doesn't taste like medicine, it's not going to make me feel any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Underberg. Just don't stand near any open flames after Underberg! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 but if you want a big, herbal, alcoholic kick, few things can replace Fernet, except perhaps Underberg. I first had Underberg at a German restaurant in NYC, from the little bottles that come a dozen to a tin. I've found it invaluable since then for helping that "bloated" feeling after I've eaten too much. 999, from Lithuania, also helps with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 What is in that stuff--pine tar and cod liver oil? I think they also throw in a soupcon of burned car tires. My brother ordered me one when we were in Spain, and it was so god awful I was sure it was an older sibling-younger sibling practical joke. Unfortunately, it wasn't. He and his restaurant buddies are all addicted to the crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 My brother ordered me one when we were in Spain, and it was so god awful I was sure it was an older sibling-younger sibling practical joke. Unfortunately, it wasn't. He and his restaurant buddies are all addicted to the crap. I think it may be a somewhat older manifestation of the behavior of some little boys who love to prove their toughness to other kids by eating super sour candies or super spicy hot sauce, or publicly eating dirt or worms or downing odd combinations of foods, like oatmeal cookies and mustard, so that little girls will scream, "Eeewww! Gross!!" Fernet Branca smells foul, tastes bitter and vile. Just the thing to flaunt your machismo, if you need to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Fernet Branca smells foul, tastes bitter and vile. Just the thing to flaunt your machismo, if you need to. Offal does a great job of that for me, with the bonus of being something I really enjoy (well as long as the said item is prepared correctly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Fernet Branca smells foul, tastes bitter and vile. Just the thing to flaunt your machismo, if you need to.The four best chefs in the world never wrote any cookbooks. They are Hunger, The Great Outdoors, Free Food, and Memory/Nostalgia. A glass of boxed wine that reminds you of the time you stayed up all night in college getting to know a girl you just met until the sun comes up while the world parties around you can taste better than the greatest French vintage.That's why, if I want to enjoy something up here (points to brain), I'll listen to a world class, James Beard-winning sommelier. If I want to enjoy something in here (points to heart), I'll drink what grandma tells me to drink. Now, if I had a way to go back in time to college and take my wife somewhere on our first date a bit classier than the Bertucci's at 2000 Penn, then my brain and heart would be titillated by the same stimuli. That would be sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 "Eeewww! Gross!!" That's how I react when I see bimbos flaunt their femininity by drinking cosmos and appletinis. Though I suppose some people just like the taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 That's how I react when I see bimbos flaunt their femininity by drinking cosmos and appletinis. Though I suppose some people just like the taste.I react by buying them additional rounds.OW! Honey, what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 That's how I react when I see bimbos flaunt their femininity by drinking cosmos and appletinis. Though I suppose some people just like the taste. Bimbos are bimbos, they aren't yet real women, who are truly feminine. Just like glorified frat boys aren't real men, nor are they truly masculine. Real women drink gin, rye and bourbon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 Bimbos are bimbos, they aren't yet real women, who are truly feminine. Just like glorified frat boys aren't real men, nor are they truly masculine.Real women drink gin, rye and bourbon. Can I buy YOU another round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Bimbos are bimbos, they aren't yet real women, who are truly feminine. Just like glorified frat boys aren't real men, nor are they truly masculine.Real women drink gin, rye and bourbon. And Barolo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanmab Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 And Barolo! heyyy, I resemble that remark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banco Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Bimbos are bimbos, they aren't yet real women, who are truly feminine. Just like glorified frat boys aren't real men, nor are they truly masculine. Precisely. One good stereotype deserves another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 I have a shipment of "miracle berry" tablets that should arrive today. These are the berries that make sour or bitter things taste sweet. I plan on doing some taste testing on Fernet Branca and Campari after trying one. (and still, I do like Fernet Branca - just not straight. I've been meaning to try it with Coke as per the Argentina episode of Three Sheets...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DameEdna Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 So, what's next? A tasty Cynar, or maybe a nice Aqwa de Bolivia? Something from the dusty shelves, I sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Go to Cork. Get Tom to make you what we informally call the "Green-oni." Gin. Cynar. Sweet vermouth. Super-yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wine Guy 23 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 COME TO LAS VEGAS AND GO TO DOWTOWN VEGAS, @ SIDEBAR... GET THE DARK AND STORMY WITH A SPLASH OF FERNET!!! : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demandalicious Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 Fernet Branca smells foul, tastes bitter and vile.It's definitely an acquired taste (one that I occasionally enjoy) and I was happy to discover that they serve it at Marvin on U St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wine Guy 23 Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 It's definitely an acquired taste (one that I occasionally enjoy) and I was happy to discover that they serve it at Marvin on U St. I am glad they serve it @ DB Brasserie in LV. as it was must tonight after an extensive evening of watching shows off the veranda w/ Jobard Meursault 'En la barre', 82 beychevelle, & 83 lynch bages (highlight), not boasting, just stating how well FB makes you feel normal again.... almost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsDiPesto Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I was surprised to see a bottle of Fernet Branca on the shelf at my local liquor pharmacy, a.k.a. VA ABC store this evening. I was informed they began stocking it about a month ago. Trivia: According to The Atlantic, in 1960, Betsy von Furstenberg was suspended from Actors’ Equity for spiking Tony Randall’s onstage drink with it. Randall believed he had been poisoned with iodine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToothbrushFambly Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Trivia: According to The Atlantic, in 1960, Betsy von Furstenberg was suspended from Actors’ Equity for spiking Tony Randall’s onstage drink with it. Randall believed he had been poisoned with iodine. Easy mistake. Iodine goes great with ginger ale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Easy mistake. Iodine goes great with ginger ale. And it tastes better than Fernet Branca! A Question to Ponder: Fernet Branca, a powerfully bitter beverage or industrial waste? Luxardo make a Fernet which I really like, so if you fall intot he latter camp, you may want to seek it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 And it tastes better than Fernet Branca! Insulting Fernet is like insulting my sweet Italian grandmother to her face. Take it back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Drool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hersch Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 If you're looking for some very funny reading, you should probably check out James Hamilton-Paterson's "Gerald Samper" novels, of which "Cooking with Fernet Branca" was the first, followed by "Amazing Disgrace" and "Rancid Pansies". Among the few comic novels that have had me laughing out loud. I hope he writes another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilaine Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Fernet Branca - this stuff is like crack. It's like Jagermeister without the syrup. Liquid 'ludes. Over ice with a tiny splash of creme de menthe. Complete shutoff of the frontal lobe. A little splash of absinthe, even more so. Especially on an empty stomach. Wheee! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 If you like it with creme de menthe, have you tried Branca Menta or the Leopold's Fernet? The latter is so minty it tastes like chewing gum... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toogs Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 If you're looking for some very funny reading, you should probably check out James Hamilton-Paterson's "Gerald Samper" novels, of which "Cooking with Fernet Branca" was the first, followed by "Amazing Disgrace" and "Rancid Pansies". Among the few comic novels that have had me laughing out loud. I hope he writes another. Absolutely fantastic. Someone introduced me to Fernet and Makers a couple weekends ago. Great stuff. fernet is evidently to this generation of restaurant workers what Grand Marnier was to mine. A restaurant owner once told me he can't stock the stuff because they will sell like 2 and a whole case will be gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Absolutely fantastic. Someone introduced me to Fernet and Makers a couple weekends ago. Great stuff. fernet is evidently to this generation of restaurant workers what Grand Marnier was to mine. A restaurant owner once told me he can't stock the stuff because they will sell like 2 and a whole case will be gone. When I started in this business, if you had one bottle of Fernet Branca on the bar, it was a 10 year supply. "Don't forget to dust off the Fernet" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 An Arlington restaurant's bartenders told me they only stock it because the owner of the place likes it. They didn't think anybody else did, and were surprised at how much of it I drank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I think it unfortunate that Branca is synonymous with Fernet. We have Branca, but we also have Fernet Luxardo and Fernet Vallet. Both of these are quire delicious. And very similar is Varnelli. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ad.mich Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Here in Chicago, Letherbee has rolled out a Fernet and a Malort that are both superior to the more common varieties and are definitely worth checking out if you have the ability... not that making a better product than Jeppson's is really a high task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 If you're looking for some very funny reading, you should probably check out James Hamilton-Paterson's "Gerald Samper" novels, of which "Cooking with Fernet Branca" was the first, followed by "Amazing Disgrace" and "Rancid Pansies". Among the few comic novels that have had me laughing out loud. I hope he writes another. I loved 'Cooking With...'!! Oh and I love Fernet Branca. <urp> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leleboo Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 If you like it with creme de menthe, have you tried Branca Menta or the Leopold's Fernet? The latter is so minty it tastes like chewing gum... We just picked up the Leopold's Fernet and it doesn't seem at all overly minty. We like it quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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