Fernet & Coke
Bartender's secret pour
The international bartender's standby — Fernet's herbal-menthol bite cut by cola's sweetness, served over ice. A lighter pour of Fernet than Argentina's Fernandito, more cola, more refreshment.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Fernet-Branca
- 3-4 oz Cola
Method
Pour Fernet-Branca over ice in a rocks glass. Top with cola. Stir.
Popularized in Córdoba Province, Argentina, gaining momentum during the 1980s following the country's return to democracy, with widespread adoption driven by Fratelli Branca's national advertising campaigns in the 1980s-1990s (official co-branding with Coca-Cola 1994–1997). Origins are less precisely documented; some sources cite Oscar "el Negro" Becerra (a drummer and bartender from Cruz del Eje) as the drink's mid-1970s creator, while others suggest it existed as early as the 1950s as a variation of fernet and soda water. Per IBA (listed as Fernandito, New Era category); Difford's Guide #17620. Notes: This is Argentina's most-consumed cocktail, accounting for roughly 75% of global fernet consumption; exact attribution and date remain contested in published sources.
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