One of the first things I felt I needed to experience in Argentina was the national cocktail. I had heard great things about the amazing vino tinto (red wine) here and am always keen on sampling a new beer. But what was the most beloved cocktail drink of the country?
It all came back to me: Patrice and I had watched the American TV show “Three Sheets” when the host visits Buenos Aires and is served an alcohol so potent that this drink expert and aficionado makes a terrible face upon tasting it. And when he inquires about the content of this spirit, they refuse to tell him! Deep down, I was hoping I would never have to try this alcohol, but as it turns out, Fernet-Branca (pronounced FUR-NUT BRAWN-CA) was indeed, the most beloved drink of Argentina.
It’s one of those first experiences that everyone has a story about. First reactions documented on the Web span from:
“It’s the liquor of hell itself!”
“Like hitting yourself over the head with a hammer, the best part about it is when it’s over.”
“Aack! This is absolutely horrible. I’ll never drink it again.”
My first Fernet
So there Patrice and I were, seated outside in Plaza Dorrego, skimming the menu at Todo Mundo, the same place the TV host had tried his first Fernet. “Dos Fernet con Coca,” says Patrice to the waiter.
“Dos?” asks the waiter.
“Si, dos,” Patrice replies.
And here it is, my first Fernet-Branca with Coke. And yes, I must admit, it is the sharpest, strongest, and strangest tasting drink I’d ever had. I recalled from the show that there were rumored to be 40 different spices in Fernet and I could sense it. Of those spices, the only one I could distinguish was a bitter Vick’s VapoRub. Wait, that’s not a spice!
Secret recipe
With some research, I discovered later that the bitterness makes sense since Fernet is a type of spirit called an amaro, Italian for “bitter.” Dark and sort of syrupy, Fernet-Branca is 45% alcohol by volume. Created in Italy, the Branca family guards the recipe but it IS known for sure to be infused with chamomile, aloe, cardamom, saffron, and myrrh. Rumors abound as to what the other spices might be: fermented beets, mushrooms, rhubarb, absinthe, orange peel, codeine, wormwood, quinine, coca leaf, cinchona bark, sage, ginger-like spices such as galanga and zedoary. Also, perhaps St. John’s wort, peppermint oil, Echinacea, and ginseng. If you think this sounds like a health drink, you might be right — the man who invented it was a pharmacist!
Bernardino Branca was a self taught apothecary in Milan who developed the formula, presenting it to the public in 1845. He promoted Fernet as a tonic that could cure illnesses and even convinced the local hospital’s director of its benefits. Today, Fernet is still used to cure hangovers or calm upset stomachs and because it was considered a medicinal item, pharmacies in the U.S. could import and sell it during the Prohibition without the government giving anyone any trouble.
Common responses
When actor Tony Randall’s drink was spiked with Fernet he thought right away that he had been poisoned with iodine. Bill Cosby once traveled to Italy where he was suffering indigestion from eating a barbecued sparrow. On his comedy record, he states that the Fernet suggested by the bartender did help calm his stomach: “The bird saw what was coming, and started running,” Bill Cosby joked. “And I started running.”
Further first impressions of Fernet from the Internet:
“It’s just like black licorice-flavored Listerine, if there was such a thing.”
“Drinking fernet is like getting punched in the nose while sucking on a mentholated cough drop.”
“I thought I was going to die immediately. I may have actually gagged twice. It was terrible.”
“It’s got a flavor that’s best described as being a cross between medicine, crushed plants, and bitter mud.”
Bitter mud? Is it really that bad? Nah, but it’s definitely an acquired taste, although Patrice acquired it immediately and loved it as any Argentinean might. Argentina now consumes more Fernet than any nation — a million cases a year are mixed with Coke.
Meditating on Fernet
I personally agree with Wayne Curtis, writing in the Atlantic, who described Fernet as “at once alarming and slightly thrilling.” Imagine this overwhelming taste combined with the tango, as I first experienced it that day. As the entwined couple tangoed with the utmost grace, smoothness, and unpredictability, I began to ponder life. I was thinking, “this is probably the best tango dance I have ever seen. Could this be true, or is it the alcohol content and the 40 mysterious spices that are muddying my thinking?”
Then it dawned on me, as I sipped my Fernet and Coke further, “Well I am in Buenos Aires so why wouldn’t this be the best tango?” The taste of the drink was so overwhelming that my other senses seemed to be obstructed. Especially my ability to question Patrice on what we were ordering for lunch…
After our drink, Patrice and I wandered to my first authentic parrilla (restaurant where barbequed meat is served). Patrice ordered the food and the next thing I know he is cutting this weird meat, he’s putting it on my plate and I’m eating it.
He says, “Do you like it?”
I reply, contentedly, “it’s good.”
He exclaims, “Wow, a vegetarian for four years just eats blood sausage with no problem!”
I must’ve been able to sense (somehow) that the medicinal properties of Fernet-Branca would prevent me from becoming ill, so I remained positive about the meal. I mean on your First Day with Fernet, you’re pretty much relieved it’s over with and take everything else in stride. And yes, my stomach was okay that day and no, I’ve never eaten another blood sausage.
Fernet’s growing popularity
Interestingly, Fernet has also gained a massive following in one city in the United States, San Francisco. There, it is drunk quickly as a shot followed by a small glass of ginger ale. It’s seems you either love it, or you don’t. San Franciscans really seems to “get it” and we most definitely get it here, as it’s one of the most affordable liquor available in grocery stores in Buenos Aires.
We were even inspired to purchase the tiny limited edition collector’s bottles with posters from the 1890s. Enjoying a Fernet at an outside café while doing a NY Times Crossword puzzle is the norm here, at least for us!
Oh, and we are also probably known as the people who ask for a straw with their fernet and never remember how to say it. Patrice would either point to the straws on the counter or say, “La cosa por la boca?” (the thing for the mouth) and they would eventually figure it out. After the fourth time, I wrote it down in the margin of my crossword book so we would remember it: “sorbete” but it always seemed wrong.
The Spanish “straw”
With some research, I just realized we are not the only ones having this translation problem with the word “straw.” Apparently, even Spanish speakers have trouble when they visit other Spanish-speaking countries. Here’s what I found, and I hope it’s accurate:
Words for “straw”
1. pitillo (Colombia, Venezuela)
2. pajilla (most of Central America)
3. absorbente (Cuba)
4. pajita (in some Argentine provinces)
5. paja (how I learned it in Spanish class, but can be inappropriate and offensive in many countries)
6. popote (Mexico – apparently in Guatemala this would mean “a big pile of crap.”)
7. sorbete (Argentina, esp. Buenos Aires – but means “ice cream cone” in Central America)
Now I don’t feel so bad!
