Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/430172
december 2014 / the tasting panel / 63 as Fernet-Branca, with Piedmontese peppermint added in two stages of the production process. "I'm all about the Brancamenta," says Zach Patterson, co- owner of Melrose Umbrella Co. in Los Angeles. "It's a little lower in alcohol, a little more sweet." So what's next for Fratelli Branca? The craft cocktail industry's affinity for Fernet-Branca has helped it find its way into cocktails in most major cities: Ask for a brown bitter stirred cocktail at Drink, in Boston, and you're likely to get a Toronto, an elegantly simple cocktail in which a barspoon of Fernet- Branca steals the show. The portfolio's Candolini Grappa is already flirting with L.A.'s cocktail bar menus, and its coffee liqueur, Caffé Borghetti, is gaining traction in the craft scene in playful new ways (hap- pily cue the non-ironic White Russian variations). Until then, try mixing up some of the industry's finest cocktails with Fratelli Branca's spirits (see sidebars for recipes), or just clink a round of Fernet-Brancas with your friends (and buy one for the bartender, too). We might even suggest you do the toast in Italian, using that longtime motto of Fratelli Branca, Novare serbando ("renew but conserve"), this holiday season. Imported by Infinium Spirits— www.infiniumspirits.com. Michael Grobstein is the Bar Manager at Café Stella in Los Angeles. boston: joy richard at citizen public house & oyster bar One of the first things you'll see along the draft beer lineup at Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar in Boston is a tap handle shaped like a mini Fernet-Branca bottle. "A lot of people sitting at the taps ask me about that," Bar Manager Joy Richard says, laughing. "We were one of the first to put Fernet Branca on draft. When we were opening four years ago, I was interested in the idea but had no idea how to do it." When only five of six kegs for Citizen's wine taps showed up, Richard took it as a sign and decided to try. She did some research, borrowed a few kegs from a local brewer, labored over hooking everything up to the tap line—and then, it worked. "We freaked out!" says Richard. "It's been super cool." Just six months later, she was getting calls from bars around the country for advice on how to install their own Fernet keg. Citizen's beautiful whiskey selection finds its way into Richard's elegant stirred cocktails. She likes to keep things brown and bitter, a perfect niche for Punt e Mes. It's a vermouth from the Carpano family that took on its notorious bitter notes after an 1870s stockbroker wandered into Antonio Carpano's bar and distractedly ordered a drink using trading-floor terminology—"punt e mes" translating to a point and a half, by which he meant he wanted a vermouth with a "half-dose" of bitters. Lucky for us, the bartender understood him perfectly, served him his drink and the name stuck, with regulars eventually ordering Punt e Mes via a thumbing hand gesture known to all the waitstaff. "Punt e Mes is really the cornerstone of using a vermouth that has a bitter element to it," Richard says. "It's one of my go-to vermouths if I'm looking for something more dry and herbal, and it pairs well with backing ingredients like Chartreuse and Orchard Apricot or Cherry—herbal liqueurs on the sweeter side." At Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar in Boston, Bar Manager Joy Richard. PHOTO: BRIAN SMITH Smoke and Mirrors ◗ 1½ oz. Del Maguey Mezcal Vida ◗ ½ oz. oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry ◗ ½ oz. Punt e Mes ◗ ½ oz. Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur ◗ 2 dashes Jerry Thomas Bitters ◗ Stir, strain into a coupe. No garnish.