Fernet and Coke

Roughly one part fernet to three of cola, often stronger, in a tall glass packed with ice. This build sits close to that. If it’s your first, start at one in four and work down; the herbs get louder as the ice melts, not softer.

For most people, inside a glass. Fernet Branca runs on myrrh, saffron, gentian and mint, and your palate files that under cough syrup until it stops doing so. Serve it very cold with the glass full to the top; warmth makes the bitterness harder work.

Regular, and it’s not close. The sugar is structural here, propping up the bitterness rather than simply sweetening it, and diet sweeteners go thin and metallic against the menthol. Cane-sugar cola in a glass bottle is a genuine improvement if you can find it.

Not really, though a couple are interesting. Branca Menta is mintier and sweeter, closer to an after-dinner drink. Fernet Vittone is the Argentine bottling and a little softer. Cynar makes a pleasant tall drink but a much gentler one, with none of the menthol crack.

A classic Fernet and Coke calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Fernet, 120 ml (4 oz) Cola. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Fernet and Coke is roughly 11% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it a relatively light, sessionable drink — similar in strength to a beer.

A Fernet and Coke is built directly in the glass over ice — no shaker required. Add the ingredients in order and give it a brief, gentle stir.