Fernandito
Argentina's chaser
Argentina's unofficial national drink — a generous pour of Fernet-Branca over ice topped with cola. Intensely herbal, minty-bitter, and strangely addictive. The Argentine ratio is heavier on Fernet than the casual American pour.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 oz Fernet-Branca
- 4 oz Cola
Method
Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour Fernet-Branca over the ice. Top with cola and gently stir to combine.
An Argentine Fernet-Branca and cola highball most strongly identified with Córdoba Province, where it gained popularity among university students in the 1980s following Argentina's return to democracy in 1983. Oscar Ángel Becerra (el Negro Becerra), a drummer and bartender from Cruz del Eje, is credited with creating the drink in the mid-1970s at Bar Español; this attribution was publicly confirmed by Argentine singer Jairo in 2004. Some sources suggest earlier origins in the 1950s. Starting in the late 1980s, Fratelli Branca's marketing director promoted the combination nationally; this became an official co-branding campaign with Coca-Cola between 1994 and 1997, driving expansion from regional practice to nationwide ubiquity. Per IBA (New Era list); Difford's Guide. Notes: While the Becerra account is the most documented origin narrative, competing theories about earlier emergence (1950s) reflect the cocktail's underdocumented origins. The communal "viajero" service style (shared plastic Coca-Cola bottles cut and filled with Fernet) is culturally significant to Córdoba but not a codified cocktail service standard.