I didn't always love Fernet Branca. In fact, I remember when my GM at the time introduced me to it. Raving about how magically delicious it was, and how it was the go to cure for a hangover. I, like most people I've seen now when I introduce them to Fernet, first flinched once I got a whiff of it, and then made a bitter beer face after tasting it. He laughed. I cursed him. Though, I was intrigued. So I kept drinking it. Now, over ten years later, I couldn't imagine my life without it. Well, perhaps not that dramatic, but you get the point.

So the time had come that I try my hand at conjuring up a Fernet based cocktail. A challenge I was eager to accept and to conquer. I have been recently playing around with crafting bitter cocktails, so felt pretty confident diving into this. I had most of the other ingredients in mind, thinking of other big, bold flavors I could incorporate to help balance the strength of Mr Branca. After only a couple tweaks, trials, and adjustments gracefully suggested by one of the owners worried about cost, "Act 2" was born. (There were 5 acts created in all. Act 4 is currently on our cocktail menu where Averna is used in place of Fernet.)

"Act 2"

1oz. Fernet Branca

.75oz. Tempus Fugit Creme de Noyaux

.75oz. Lemon Juice

.50oz El Dorado Spiced Rum

.25oz Rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water ratio)

3 dashes Bar Keep Baked Apple bitters

Add all ingredients to shaker. Add ice. Give a good strong shake. Double strain over a large cube in a Whiskey glass. No garnish. Imbibe.

The curtain falls.