What We're Drinking: The Toronto

The Toronto Cocktail

Sometimes there is a gem of a drink hidden in plain site. In my eyes, the Toronto Cocktail is a friggin' lost diamond! Rye. Fernet Branca. Sugar. Bitters. It does not get any more simple than that with cocktail ingredients.

Some background: David Embury's presents this cocktail as a variation of the Old Fashioned in his  The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948).  However, I prefer the Toronto served up with an orange peel.

This libation unites two of my favorite spirits - rye whiskey and Fernet Branca into a well balanced and strong pick me up. Embury's recipe has Canadian whiskey which makes sense given that American Rye production had been decimated by Prohibition and well, the drink is named after Canada's largest metropolis. However,  I recommend using a full bodied robust American Rye like Rittenhouse 100 Bonded Rye which will stand up to Fernet's bold medicinal flavor, but does not overwhelm the drink. In fact, I increased the proportion of Fernet to 1/2 oz to balance Rittenhouse's strength.

Building the drink: Start with reliable Angostura bitters and simple syrup in a mixing glass, then add the liquor. Lower a few lumps of cracked ice into the glass and stir rigorously for 20 seconds. Once you strain into a chilled cocktail glass, hold a match under a freshly cut orange peel and ignite the oils over the drink.

Toronto Cocktail
2 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (we used Rittenhouse 100)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca (or amp it up to a full 1/2 oz)
1/4 oz simple syrup
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Orange twist

Tools: Mixing glass, Bar spoon, Hawthorne strainer, pairing knife, coupe glass

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and add cracked ice. Stir mixture until ice cold and then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with burnt orange twist.

Where to get it: Maison Premiere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; it is not on their spirits menu but they roll one upon request.

Variations:  King Cole Cocktail (2 oz Bourbon, 1/2 oz Fernet Branca, 1/4 oz simple syrup, dash of Angostura, orange twist). 

MAISON PREMIERE
298 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211

What We're Drinking: The Midnight Stinger

by Fredo

Minty, refreshing, and potent, the Stinger cocktail is part eye opener, part ultimate nightcap. It is an original and proves it by breaking the rules. The Stinger is one of the only all booze cocktails for which it is acceptable to shake. No Lemon juice and no egg whites here, just liquor that needs a bruising. I believe the drink is simply better ice cold and quite frankly, do you need a neat drink to end the night?

Our favorite variation of the Stinger was created by a man who is expert at bringing amari into a cocktail. It is called the Midnight Stinger and features a float of the bartender's handshake - Fernet Branca. And the man to make you this gem is Sam Ross of Milk & Honey and Little Branch.

MIDNIGHT STINGER

3/4 oz fresh lemon
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 oz bourbon
1 oz Fernet Branca
Mint sprig

Combine the ingredients in cocktail shaker and roll back and forth. Strain into rocks glass over crushed ice,  add mint springs.

Where to get it: Milk & Honey or Little Branch, New York City

What we are Drinking: The Fernet Flip

by Fredo

I wish I could personally thank drinks journalist Paul Clarke of the Cocktail Chronicles for introducing me to this sublime concoction. His article on the Fernet Flip marries one of my favorite spirits Fernet Branca and my obsession with Flip into one hell of a corpse reviver.

The chocolaty Carpano Antica vermouth complements the medicinal Fernet Branca and doesn't skimp on flavor. I tried several versions described by Mr. Clarke including the Boston version. Alas, I had no Xocolati Mole Bitters so I stuck with Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters which as he points out, works just fine. I modified the recipe slightly, adding a 1/2 ounce of heavy cream to make the finish extra smooth. The drink turns out semi-sweet, creamy, and with the familiar Fernet taste coming at the end.

The Fernet Flip
1 1/2 oz of Fernet Branca
1 1/2 oz of Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
1 dash of Simple syrup
1/2 oz heavy cream
Two dashes of Fee's Whiskey Barrel bitters
1 whole medium egg
Nutmeg

Combine the ingredients in a shaker,dry shake for a few seconds. Then add ice, shake rigorously, and strain into a chilled wine goblet. Top off with a dusting of fresh nutmeg.

Trust me, Mr. Clarke calls this drink "a keeper" and I couldn't agree more. The Fernet Flip is now my official morning after remedy.

Where to get it: The Violet Hour in Chicago, Eastern Standard in Boston or my home bar.

(photo of Fernet poster courtesy of Ryan Medeiros)

What We're Drinking: Italianize cocktails with Fernet Branca

Fernet Branca

Novare serbando - translation "Renew but conserve" - Fratelli Branca motto from the 19th Century

I have been in love with the mysterious Italian liquor known as Fernet for over ten years. The dark syrupy substance ranks as my favorite post dinner drink with grappa and sambuca rounding out the trifecta. It was not love at first shot by any means. I first tasted Fernet in Italy during my days as a student at the American University of Rome. I remember the harsh medicinal taste of the first sip but then gradually warmed up to it. I became such a fan, that one night we finished a bottle of it at an apartment near the Flaminio and I realized Fernet was something special! As romances sometimes go we lost touch and I moved on to other amari. Then one day we reconnected.

While ordering a Negroni at my local bar I saw the familiar dark green bottle sitting uncomfortably between Averna and Campari. As the bartender reached for the red amaro, I decided to make my move and asked him to substitute Fernet. I realized that I was bored of the same old cocktail recipes. Don't get me wrong, I love Manhattans, Negronis, and Pimms Cups and other timeless classics but sometimes I need an extra kick. So I began to"Italianize" my cocktails with Fernet Branca. 

First a little background: Fernet is an herbal liquor or “digestivo” has been popular in Italy and France since the 19th century. The Fratelli Branca's Fernet-Branca brand is the most popular in the world but there is also an excellent variety produced by the Venetian produced Fernet Luxardo. The soothing liquor is made from 27 herbs, including saffron, aloes, gentian, rhubarb, gun myrrh, red cinchona bark, & other exotic spices and has a medicinal quality which can be refreshing after a satisfying meal. Be warned that it is 80 proof and a cousin to Jaegermeister so it is not your typical amaro.

The modern Fernet invasion into the United States began in San Francisco in the late 90s and has continued to spread east. According to Nate Cavalieri’s article on the Fernet-Branca obsession in San Francisco, “The Myth of Fernet,” from the December 7, 2005 issue of SF Weekly, the city consumes more of the liquor than any other place in the United States. Fernet has become an institution with bar patrons from the Italian enclave of North Beach to the hipster Mission district to South of Market (SoMA) street back up to Haight Street and beyond. In his article, Cavalieri also goes into the history of Fernet Branca in America as an elixir. It has the notoriety of being the only alcoholic substance imported into the United States during prohibition, the government considered it medicine. As you can imagine, it flew off the shelves at local pharmacies! All this history adds to the mythical and outlaw nature of the liquor.

In the past several years, Fernet has been making inroads on the East Coast gaining popularity in Boston and amongst bar and restaurant industry folks in New York as well. According to drinkboston.com, the trend of drinking Fernet Branca by chefs, bartenders, and waitstaff alike can be compared to a reaction against the fashionista commercialism of Cosmopolitan and expensive vodka bottle service mania. In other words, Fernet is an outlaw drink and that only true cognoscenti can handle!

Fernet Cocktails:
 
Tradizionale (aka "Neat")

• 2 oz Fernet Branca

Pour the Fernet Branca into a cordial glass, add a twist of lemon when in Sicily or drinking with the Senator.

Fernet Rocks

• 3 oz Fernet Branca
• Twist of lemon
  

Pour the Fernet over ice into a rocks or high ball glass, serve with lemon twist.

The Fedora (created by Matt Dawson of Brooklyn Social)

• 1/4 oz Fernet Branca
• 2 1/2 oz Michter's Rye Whiskey
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• Twist of citrus

Pour the Fernet into an ice filled shaker and "wash the ice" by stirring the liquid, then drain it. Combine the Rye (we prefer the American brand Michter's Rye over the Canadian variety), and the vermouth into the shaker. Stir rigorously and serve up in a martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon or burnt orange.

Fredo's Fernet Negroni

• 1 oz Beefeater Gin
• 0.5 oz Fernet Branca
• 0.5 oz Campari
• 0.5 oz sweet vermouth
• Orange slice

Combine the ingredients over ice in a double rocks glass. I prefer a dry gins like Beefeater or Tanqueray in this cocktail. Try not to use botanical infused gins, like Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks, as they will not blend well with the strong medicinal qualities of the Fernet. Stir until chilled and serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.

Fernet with soda

• 1 oz Fernet Branca
• 2 oz Coca Cola or Ginger Ale

Pour the Fernet over ice in a highball glass. Then pour in Coca-Cola (practically a national drink in Argentina) or ginger ale (a favorite in San Francisco).

Pimms Italiano

• 2 oz Pimm's No. 1
• 1/4 to 1/2 oz of Fernet Branca
• 3 oz ginger ale
• sliced cucumbers
• sliced lemon
• fresh mint

The Pimms Italiano is a Milanese take on the traditional English Pimms Cup. Combine a slice of cucumber, lemon, and mint into a rocks glass. Muddle the ingredients using a bar spoon or muddler. Add ice. Pour in Pimms No. 1, then ginger ale and stir. Finally add the, Fernet Branca as a floater. Garnish with a Cucumber slice and drink away.

Cent'anni!
- Fredo