There’s a lot to like about Edoardo Branca.
For one, he’s an Italian count.
Two, despite being an Italian count, he likes Batman and cheeseburgers, but not hangovers, just like the rest of us.
Three, he holds the secret recipe to Fernet-Branca, following six generations of family tradition.
Four, he’s just a really great guy who spent some time answering all of our pressing questions.
Along the way, we learned how Fernet-Branca was born, about its usage as medicine and why everyone in markets from Buenos Aires to San Francisco is so crazy about the stuff. Now, it’s your turn.
Fernet-Branca’s birth was tied to medicine.
Edoardo explains, “It was created 170 years ago as a medicine. Some of the herbs in Fernet-Branca actually help to stimulate your appetite, so you get hungry. When somebody got cholera, they wouldn’t eat anymore and got very, very weak. The hospital gave them a spoon of Fernet-Branca with their meals, so they would get hungry, start to eat once again and get stronger, with the help of other medicine.”
The origins of the name are still a mystery, though, even within the family.
“There are two stories, depending on who you talk to at the company. There was the original Mr. Branca, who was an herbalist. And Mr. Fernet, who was a Swedish chemist. But in our archives, we have no one speaking about this Mr. Fernet. Then you have the workers who say, ‘No, no, no. That’s not true. We invented the name.’
“The second story has some basis in reality. Fernet-Branca is made with hot and cold infusions—picture Gargamel in The Smurfs, with the big pot boiling. When they were mixing fernet, they used a big iron spike to stir it. When it was done, the spike would come out very clean and shiny. Fernet in Milanese means ‘clean iron,’ which the workers would shout out when the batch was ready. We don’t have any definitive record of that either, so you never know which is the true story.”
Don’t be fooled by imitators.
Edoardo reminds everyone that his family’s 170-year-old recipe is also “the real one. The true one. We’re the only one that ages the product from 12 to 16 months, which is really unique. I cannot speak to other fernets, but all of our herbs and spices are of the highest quality and are fresh when we buy them, apart from the chamomile that we produce and ship from Argentina.”
Even Prohibition couldn’t stop these guys.
“During the Prohibition era in the United States, we managed to be one of the only spirits able to be sold, because Fernet-Branca was sold as a medicine and not as a spirit. So Prohibition for us was one of the most beneficial moments in our history. We were selling without competition. And when they said Prohibition was finished, they say you could hear my grandfather screaming for a couple of days. I think he was the only guy who was sad about Prohibition ending.”
Fernet-Branca has been embraced by more than just Italians.
We were curious to know Edoardo’s thoughts on how the digestif became so popular in cities like San Francisco and Buenos Aires. He explains, “Normally in Italy, they tell you the first US city you should go to is New York. But for us, it was actually San Francisco. And we have papers that show we arrived in 1865. And then in the past 50 years, the people in San Francisco wanted to switch to something bitter where there’s no added sugar. Of course, when you drink something with less sugar, you don’t have a hangover the next day. Well, if you drink a whole bottle of Fernet-Branca, the next day you will have a hangover for sure. Also, I think with all our herbs and spices, it’s something really unique. And people in San Francisco wanted to discover something new.”
As for Argentina, he says the country is “a perfect example of our motto, ‘novare serbando,’ which means to innovate but to also keep your roots. We’ve kept our recipe secret for 170 years, and we’ve never changed our formula, but as times changed, a lot of people wanted their drinks sweeter. So we innovated by introducing Fernet-Branca mixed with Coca-Cola. And Argentineans drink mate, which is a bitter tea, so Fernet-Branca goes well with their palates.”
As for other parts of America, Edoardo thinks the time is right for US drinkers to embrace Fernet-Branca. “There are people whose palates are growing up. And they want to drink something more complex. Something they can sip that lingers on the palate, not something to shoot just to get drunk. It’s perfect for those seeking lower sugar content in their drinks and who want a bit more complexity.”
Edoardo doesn’t drink Fernet-Branca every day. But almost.
He says he enjoys the stuff “at least five days a week after dinner. When I’m out with friends, we will have a shot. And also, when I have a cough or I’m sneezing, I take the normal medicines, but sometimes I will also have a couple of fingers of hot Fernet-Branca. Because heated up with the mint and the herbs inside, it opens everything up.”
Harness its powers as a digestif by drinking it with heavier foods.
“Of course, you can have Fernet-Branca with a salad, but I don’t think it is the perfect combination. If you are having a double bacon-and-egg cheeseburger with double cheese and things like that, you should go with Fernet-Branca, as it helps your digestion so you’re not feeling completely stuffed.”
The man can keep a secret.
Edoardo is one of the only people who know Fernet-Branca’s secret recipe. What he will reveal is, “It’s not necessarily about the herbs inside, but more about the quantity of the herbs. I’ve seen how if you change the amount just a little, the taste changes completely and is no longer Fernet-Branca.”
It tastes like...
The count breaks it down for us like so: “You will have the bitterness of aloe and rhubarb. You will have some of the subtlety of the other herbs like galangal, and a touch of mint as well. When you breathe in, you’ll feel that freshness. Then there will be some herbs that will actually be more visual. If you take a glass of Fernet-Branca and you turn it around, you’ll notice yellow from the saffron. Then there’s the chamomile. You might not taste it, but it will help your stomach muscles to relax.”
Fernet-Branca has become a cultural touchstone.
Mr. Branca reminisces about a few of the honorifics given to the spirit. “In San Francisco, a rapper made a song about Fernet-Branca, which was amazing. And we’re in some movies, lots of Italian movies. Also, in The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred said something about how every year he’d holiday in Florence and order Fernet-Branca at a café. I had a lot of friends making fun of me, actually, saying, ‘Edoardo, how much did you have to pay for this kind of advertising in a Batman movie?’ But it was something they did by themselves. It was really fun.”
For one, he’s an Italian count.
Two, despite being an Italian count, he likes Batman and cheeseburgers, but not hangovers, just like the rest of us.
Three, he holds the secret recipe to Fernet-Branca, following six generations of family tradition.
Four, he’s just a really great guy who spent some time answering all of our pressing questions.
Along the way, we learned how Fernet-Branca was born, about its usage as medicine and why everyone in markets from Buenos Aires to San Francisco is so crazy about the stuff. Now, it’s your turn.
Fernet-Branca’s birth was tied to medicine.
Edoardo explains, “It was created 170 years ago as a medicine. Some of the herbs in Fernet-Branca actually help to stimulate your appetite, so you get hungry. When somebody got cholera, they wouldn’t eat anymore and got very, very weak. The hospital gave them a spoon of Fernet-Branca with their meals, so they would get hungry, start to eat once again and get stronger, with the help of other medicine.”
The origins of the name are still a mystery, though, even within the family.
“There are two stories, depending on who you talk to at the company. There was the original Mr. Branca, who was an herbalist. And Mr. Fernet, who was a Swedish chemist. But in our archives, we have no one speaking about this Mr. Fernet. Then you have the workers who say, ‘No, no, no. That’s not true. We invented the name.’
“The second story has some basis in reality. Fernet-Branca is made with hot and cold infusions—picture Gargamel in The Smurfs, with the big pot boiling. When they were mixing fernet, they used a big iron spike to stir it. When it was done, the spike would come out very clean and shiny. Fernet in Milanese means ‘clean iron,’ which the workers would shout out when the batch was ready. We don’t have any definitive record of that either, so you never know which is the true story.”
Don’t be fooled by imitators.
Edoardo reminds everyone that his family’s 170-year-old recipe is also “the real one. The true one. We’re the only one that ages the product from 12 to 16 months, which is really unique. I cannot speak to other fernets, but all of our herbs and spices are of the highest quality and are fresh when we buy them, apart from the chamomile that we produce and ship from Argentina.”
Even Prohibition couldn’t stop these guys.
“During the Prohibition era in the United States, we managed to be one of the only spirits able to be sold, because Fernet-Branca was sold as a medicine and not as a spirit. So Prohibition for us was one of the most beneficial moments in our history. We were selling without competition. And when they said Prohibition was finished, they say you could hear my grandfather screaming for a couple of days. I think he was the only guy who was sad about Prohibition ending.”
Fernet-Branca has been embraced by more than just Italians.
We were curious to know Edoardo’s thoughts on how the digestif became so popular in cities like San Francisco and Buenos Aires. He explains, “Normally in Italy, they tell you the first US city you should go to is New York. But for us, it was actually San Francisco. And we have papers that show we arrived in 1865. And then in the past 50 years, the people in San Francisco wanted to switch to something bitter where there’s no added sugar. Of course, when you drink something with less sugar, you don’t have a hangover the next day. Well, if you drink a whole bottle of Fernet-Branca, the next day you will have a hangover for sure. Also, I think with all our herbs and spices, it’s something really unique. And people in San Francisco wanted to discover something new.”
As for Argentina, he says the country is “a perfect example of our motto, ‘novare serbando,’ which means to innovate but to also keep your roots. We’ve kept our recipe secret for 170 years, and we’ve never changed our formula, but as times changed, a lot of people wanted their drinks sweeter. So we innovated by introducing Fernet-Branca mixed with Coca-Cola. And Argentineans drink mate, which is a bitter tea, so Fernet-Branca goes well with their palates.”
As for other parts of America, Edoardo thinks the time is right for US drinkers to embrace Fernet-Branca. “There are people whose palates are growing up. And they want to drink something more complex. Something they can sip that lingers on the palate, not something to shoot just to get drunk. It’s perfect for those seeking lower sugar content in their drinks and who want a bit more complexity.”
Edoardo doesn’t drink Fernet-Branca every day. But almost.
He says he enjoys the stuff “at least five days a week after dinner. When I’m out with friends, we will have a shot. And also, when I have a cough or I’m sneezing, I take the normal medicines, but sometimes I will also have a couple of fingers of hot Fernet-Branca. Because heated up with the mint and the herbs inside, it opens everything up.”
Harness its powers as a digestif by drinking it with heavier foods.
“Of course, you can have Fernet-Branca with a salad, but I don’t think it is the perfect combination. If you are having a double bacon-and-egg cheeseburger with double cheese and things like that, you should go with Fernet-Branca, as it helps your digestion so you’re not feeling completely stuffed.”
The man can keep a secret.
Edoardo is one of the only people who know Fernet-Branca’s secret recipe. What he will reveal is, “It’s not necessarily about the herbs inside, but more about the quantity of the herbs. I’ve seen how if you change the amount just a little, the taste changes completely and is no longer Fernet-Branca.”
It tastes like...
The count breaks it down for us like so: “You will have the bitterness of aloe and rhubarb. You will have some of the subtlety of the other herbs like galangal, and a touch of mint as well. When you breathe in, you’ll feel that freshness. Then there will be some herbs that will actually be more visual. If you take a glass of Fernet-Branca and you turn it around, you’ll notice yellow from the saffron. Then there’s the chamomile. You might not taste it, but it will help your stomach muscles to relax.”
Fernet-Branca has become a cultural touchstone.
Mr. Branca reminisces about a few of the honorifics given to the spirit. “In San Francisco, a rapper made a song about Fernet-Branca, which was amazing. And we’re in some movies, lots of Italian movies. Also, in The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred said something about how every year he’d holiday in Florence and order Fernet-Branca at a café. I had a lot of friends making fun of me, actually, saying, ‘Edoardo, how much did you have to pay for this kind of advertising in a Batman movie?’ But it was something they did by themselves. It was really fun.”
