The Myth of Fernet:
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| Fernet-Branca: The best known of Italian bitters. It is used as an aperitif and generally recommended to settle upset stomachs and hangovers. | |
| Alex Lichine's "New Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits" Fourth Edition, 1985 |
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"It's an acquired taste first and foremost, like coffee or wine," says Hobson's Choice General Manager, Chris Dickerson. "First time you have it is like, 'Argh! This is absolutely horrible.'
"That's because you're used to drinking Jäger," Dickerson continues. "And stuff with a lot of sugar. This is a lot crisper and cleaner, and you feel a lot better in the morning. It's terrible at first, but in five minutes -- it's amazing -- you'll feel a whole lot better. Then it's time for another one."
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| Photo by Paulo Vescia | |
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Tonight, Cattani and Licu -- who both have black hair and a seemingly insatiable thirst for the product they peddle -- move through the bar throwing back shots and chasing them with small glasses of ginger ale -- the style of drinking Fernet-Branca that is most popular in San Francisco. Most of the bar is 10 shots into the stuff when people start speaking the language of Fernet, so-called 'Fernetonics,' and telling slightly exaggerated stories of "Fernightmares," when their love for the drink got the best of them and they had to wake up the next day and have a glass of it to soothe their hangovers.
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from Jim Salvati, won the FERNET-BRANCA Poster Contest, held at THE SHOOTONG GALLERY, in San Francisco, on December 15, 2005. See the 22 posters that entered the contest |
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The bit about the hangover is apparently true, and Fernet-Branca's mysterious herbal brew has been a 'bartender's cure' for generations. And, if consumed properly, it prevents hangovers just as well. If you avoid mixing the drink with beer, wine, or liquor of lesser quality, and stick to drinking only Fernet with ginger or soda, the next day is almost certainly free of head-pounding guilt. But these are only some of Fernet-Branca's promises.
"It's safe to say you could go to any bar in San Francisco and get a different story of Fernet," Cattani says.
It's likely that yarns are being spun in bars up and down Haight and Mission streets, in restaurants dotting North Beach, SOMA, and Union Square. Tonight, San Francisco will tip back its share of nearly 50 percent of the Fernet-Branca consumed in the United States.
All the talk makes Cattani and Licu thirsty, and, joined by waitstaff from various Fernet strongholds, they down another shot. One of the bartenders holds his emptied glass for a moment and marvels, "Delicious."
Mr. Lichine only offers the tip of the iceberg. Depending on whom you ask, the occasional spot of Fernet can cure cholera, quiet a screaming baby (a remedy surprisingly put forth by Healthy & Natural Journal), or get you stoned. For the ladies -- nothing works finer for those difficult days of the month. For the fellas -- a way to avert certain physical ineptitudes in the bedroom after long nights of drinking.
| Source: SF Weekly – ©2005 SF Weekly |
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