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Fernet Branca – Gelato al Fernet Branca
Fernet Branca – Gelato al Fernet Branca
Acquire the taste. Say hello to the big daddy of amari. Say hello to Fernet (fur-net) Branca. There are other makers, but when a patron asks for Fernet, the barman knows he wants Fernet Branca from Fratelli Branca Distillerie. Bernardino Branca invented Fernet in 1845, and it is still made according to the original secret formula. Secret, I repeat. The company admits to twenty-seven ingredients from four corners of the globe. Word among the cognoscenti, however puts the figure at upwards of forty. Known are gentian root, rhubarb, gum myrrh, aloe, red cinchona bark and galanga. Saffron is rumored. Read the remainder of this entry »
Punch Abruzzo
Punch Abruzzo – The secret ingredient in my Caffe, Cioccolata and Tiramisu
una bevanda che fa cambà cent’anni e cente mise – a drink that will let you live a hundred years and a hundred months
OK. Mayors do lots of wonderful things for towns. Chief administrators, they look out for the well being of their citizens, perform good works – everything from planting trees to visiting the needy and serving Thanksgiving meals. But one Mayor, Sig. Antonio Evangelista of the small town of Borrello in the province of Chieti (in southeastern Abruzzo) performed magic. To stave off the winter cold he decocted spirits, herbs and spices to come up with Punch Abruzzo, a most magnificent liquore. The mayor made it in his home fireplace, and apparently it caused quite a stir in the town, inciting all kinds of curiosity in the townsfolk.
Over time he refined his creation, making it for friends and fellow citizens, and in 1907 he named it Punch Abruzzo. Closely guarded, the formula has been handed down from father to son, and now the third generation of Evangelista produces Punch Abruzzo according to his grandfather’s proprietary formula, having moved the firm to Sambuceto (CH).
Punch Abruzzo has won much acclaim, and now on little cat feet it has quietly made its way to us. Expect to hear much more about this masterly infusion over the coming year as the importer rolls it out across America. Today’s enterprising mixologists will no doubt make hay with this one in long drinks and cocktails. I can’t wait. Read the remainder of this entry »