Bartender's Handshake: The Cult of Fernet-Branca, with Cocktail Recipes and Lore

It was Italian immigrants who first carried bottles of Fernet-Branca to the United States in their suitcases, introducing the distinctly bitter digestivo to unexpecting palates. Although most Americans weren’t sure what to make of it, Fernet became a rite of passage among bartenders. If a bartender poured a shot for a customer (usually another bartender) and another for themselves, it was called a “bartender’s handshake.” They began to recognize the spirit as eminently mixable, its bitter notes conspiring to balance sweetness, providing the energy or “bite” which causes a cocktail to sing, and informing many new mixed drinks. Offered here is an eclectic collection of 88 drink recipes crafted with Fernet-Branca, inspired by pre- and post-Prohibition classics to inventive notions developed in progressive cocktail programs. With this volume as trusted accomplice, the reader is invited to share in the sensory pleasures of Italy’s legendary elixir.