Skip to main content

Learn to love Fernet-Branca with these shot recipes

Bitter, dark, and herbal, let yourself into the world of Fernet-Branca gently with these shots

By Georgina Torbet Oct 23, 2024 7:00 AM

fernet branca shot recipes screenshot 2024 09 12 at 3 56 55 pm — Fernet-Branca

Fernet-Branca is an ingredient that bartenders love and almost everyone else seems to hate. This dark, moody, anise amaro is one of a selection of unusual liqueurs that you’ll frequently see tucked away at the back of bars, often brought out by the bartenders as shots for the staff at the end of the night.

Though Fernet-Branca is bitter and takes some getting used to, though, this isn’t pure masochism on the part of bar staff. It is beloved for its complex, rich flavors as much as its bracing bitterness, as its herbal complexity packs a lot of flavor into a small space.

Recommended Videos

If you’re warming up to the idea of Fernet-Branca but aren’t ready to knock it back straight just yet, one way to get into it is to start with its more minty and approachable cousin, Branca Menta. That has a heft of menthol flavor that reminds some people of toothpaste but which I personally love, and it’s amazing when added to a coffee.

But another way to easy yourself into the bitter world of Fernet is to try it mixed into simple shots. These half and half shots ease up on the bitterness by combining it with sweeter options like coffee liqueur, letting you enjoy the herbal nuance whilst being a bit more gentle to your palate.

Hard Start

Ingredients:

¾ oz. Fernet-Branca
¾ oz. Branca Menta

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shot glass and enjoy!

Forghetti Start

Ingredients:

¾ oz. Fernet-Branca
¾ oz. Borghetti

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shot glass and enjoy!

Ferrari Start

Ingredients:

¾ oz. Fernet-Branca
¾ oz. Campari

Method:

Add all ingredients to a shot glass and enjoy!

Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary… Read Full Bio

The best beers to pair with your summer yard games

Anderson Valley

When it comes to leisure activities during the summer months, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of a round of yard games. What could be more fun on a hot, sunny day than besting your friends and siblings in an epic backyard brawl? I can’t think of anything.

I’m talking about games like croquet, lawn darts, bocce, ladder ball, cornhole, and more. The only thing that makes the experience better is having a frosty, refreshing beer firmly in one of your hands. But just like how you don’t enjoy every yard game, not just any beer will do.

Jagermeister goes citrus with new orange release

Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Alcohol is the ultimate gathering tool. No matter what event you have coming up, you can almost always bet on a good drink (unless it is a baby shower; then maybe not). From the moment I joined the United States Army, I became quite familiar with the presence of Jagermeister. It was a constant pillar of our get-togethers for two main reasons. The first was that we didn’t make a lot of money, and it has always been one of the more accessible liquors when we walked down the booze aisles of the Class 6 (picture a 711 on a military post). The second reason is that it is the perfect shot drink. It never needed a mixer. It is designed to be poured as a shot straight from the freezer. However, Jager is also versatile enough to make some great cocktails. Now, the brand dropped the perfect summer upgrade with an orange twist.

Jagermeister has always been about bringing people together. – Cindy Wang Simms, CMO,Jägermeister US.

Bib & Tucker’s first bottled-in-bond bourbon is aged twice the legal minimum

Alcohol, Beverage, Liquor

Bib & Tucker is releasing its first bottled-in-bond bourbon, and the Columbia, Tennessee brand went well past what the designation actually asks for.

Bottled-in-bond is one of the oldest and strictest standards in American whiskey. The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 requires that a whiskey be distilled in a single season by a single distiller at a single distillery, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. No wiggle room on any of it.