Fernet con coca

Ingredients

The build

• 70 mlFernet Branca, cold from the fridge or at room temperature
• 230 mlCoca-Cola, ice cold and freshly opened
• Ice cubes, enough to fill the glass two thirds

Glass and extras

• 1tall glass of 500 ml, or a 1 litre cut-down plastic bottle if you are pouring for a group in Córdoba
• 1 sliceof lemon, optional and disputed

Directions

1. Chill the glass and the cola. Everything must be cold: a warm cola foams over and the drink goes flat before the first sip.
2. Fill the glass two thirds with ice cubes, not crushed ice, which melts too fast and waters the drink down.
3. Pour the Fernet over the ice first. The proportion is roughly 30 parts Fernet to 70 parts cola, which is stronger than most foreigners expect and is the point of the drink.
4. Add a splash of cola, about 50 ml, and stir with a long spoon for 5 seconds to marry the two before the foam builds.
5. Top up slowly with the rest of the cola, pouring down the side of the glass or over the back of the spoon to keep the carbonation.
6. Let the foam settle for a moment; it should sit as a tan head about a centimetre deep. Do not stir again.
7. Taste. It should be bitter first, sweet second, with the menthol and myrrh cutting through the cola. Adjust future glasses by Fernet, not by cola.
8. Serve at once with a straw or drink it straight from the glass. In Córdoba it is mixed in a large bottle and poured for everyone at the table.

Technique

• Fernet con coca is the national mixed drink of Argentina and is particularly associated with Córdoba, where it became the standard student and party drink in the 1980s and 1990s.
• The ratio is argued about endlessly. Bars pour 50 ml of Fernet to a 200 ml cola; Córdoba pours it much harder. What nobody does is make it weak.
• Ice first, Fernet second, cola last is the accepted order. Pouring cola first produces a mountain of foam and a badly mixed drink.
• The cola must be the sugared kind. Diet cola gives a thin, harsh drink because there is no sugar to balance the bitterness.

Substitutions

• No Fernet Branca: another fernet such as Vittone or 1882 works, though each is sweeter; adjust down to 60 ml.
• A local cola will do, but the drink is built on the specific spice profile of Coca-Cola and tastes noticeably different with anything else.

Variations

• Fernet con coca, the standard tall build.
• Fernandito, the same drink named affectionately, sometimes made with a lemon slice.
• Fernet con Sprite, a minority taste that Córdoba considers a provocation.

History

Cordoba adopted the Milanese bitter with cola in the 1980s and made it a rite; Argentina now drinks most of the world’s Fernet-Branca.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fernet con coca?

Fernet con coca is a cocktail from Argentina: bitter Fernet with Coca-Cola, Córdoba’s beloved mix. Cordoba adopted the Milanese bitter with cola in the 1980s and made it a rite; Argentina now drinks most of the world’s Fernet-Branca.

How long does Fernet con coca take to make?

Fernet con coca takes 3 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fernet con coca?

Yes, within limits. No Fernet Branca: another fernet such as Vittone or 1882 works, though each is sweeter; adjust down to 60 ml. A local cola will do, but the drink is built on the specific spice profile of Coca-Cola and tastes noticeably different with anything else.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fernet con coca?

Chill the glass and the cola. Everything must be cold: a warm cola foams over and the drink goes flat before the first sip.