Unasked for, Fernet Branca’s PR firm sent me two free 50 mL bottles of their product. I thank them for the generosity even if it was forced upon me.
There are times as a blogger that people send you things. If I’m asked, I always tell people that I do not accept samples for review. I did this for the PR firm that Fernet Branca uses. They sent a box anyway. In that box were two 50 mL bottles of Fernet Branca along with a keychain and something else that I can’t remember.
I was convinced that I wouldn’t be saying anything about this on the blog. For one thing, it’s not whiskey. Secondly, they sent it to me even after I told them that I wouldn’t review it on the blog. I wasn’t upset, but I figured there was no ethical way I could say anything without it being something that I absolutely loved.
I was going to do a tasting for a review of Knob Creek Rye tonight. But, I got home from work and decided to make a drink. I looked into the cupboard, and noticed that small bottle of Fernet Branca that has been sitting there for a few months. I opened it and was intrigued. It tasted a bit like NyQuil. What on earth could this be used for?
I looked online and found a seriouseats.com article that had a list of cocktails you could make with this darn thing. There was only one on the list that I had the ingredients to make and that was one called the Toronto. (Hmmm…I have friends in Toronto.) It has rye whiskey, Fernet Branca, bitters and simple syrup.
And. It. Is. Fantastic. Baking spices and herbs with just a hint of menthol. In spite of myself, when these two little bottles are gone, I’ll be buying another. And very slowly (each drink only takes a quarter ounce) I’ll work my way through it. Here’s how I made it:
the Toronto Cocktail
2 oz Knob Creek Rye
1/4 ounce Fernet Branca
1/4 ounce Simple Syrup
2 hard dashes Fee Brothers Aromatic Bitters
Then I just stirred that with ice and poured into a rocks glass (they recommend an up glass, but I wasn’t feeling that fancy).
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