The first time a bartender friend shoved a glass of Fernet Branca & Coca-Cola in my face, my mouth and mind revolted at the bitterly herbal yet bubbly sweet combo. Like so many acquired tastes, though, I came to be fascinated by the main ingredient, soon learning that fernet is technically a type of amaro, used primarily a digestif to settle the stomach after a rich dinner — or as a hangover prophylactic.
I don’t recall ever seeing an alternative to the dominant Branca brand, but now Santa Barbara — reportedly one of the top five fernet-consuming cities in California — boasts its own version. Throwback Fernet is the creation of Black Market Spirits, a partnership between veteran distiller Ian Cutler and entrepreneur Matt Fraser, former bartender at Q’s and co-owner of Statemynt on State Street.
“The complexity and sheer number of botanicals makes this type of spirit difficult to balance, so I saw this as both a creative challenge and a daunting task to create something balanced and enjoyable,” explained Cutler, who tried out more than 100 concoctions with the goal of a more approachable, softer, and slightly less bitter result. He opted for a bit of chocolate from Twenty-Four Blackbirds, some Ojai Pixie tangerines, and then a range of dried fruits, peppermint, aloe, cardamom, chamomile, and about a dozen secret ingredients. The result is a bit like mint chocolate chip ice cream hooked up with bay leaf and bouquet garni to make a baby.