Fernet

**Fernet** is a dark, syrupy alcoholic drink similar to an **amaro**. It is made from a number of herbs and spices which vary according to the brand, but usually include **myrrh**, **rhubarb**, **chamomile**, **cardamom**, **aloe** and especially **saffron**.

According to the tradition, fernet derives form the milanese locution “//fer net”//, (“//ferro pulito”//)//,// from the hot ironplate, that was used in the preparation of the spirit.

 Fernet is usually served as a **digestif** after a meal but may also be served with **coffee** and **espresso**. It was also marketed as  a cure for **menstrual cramps**. During the American prohibition Fernet was still legal as a medicine. Because of its list of ingredients, it has a number of **home remedies**, including **baby colic**, and **cholera**.

In Argentina it is commonly mixed with **Coca Cola** and it may be served at room temperature or on the rocks (with ice).

The most famous brand is the italian **Fernet-Branca**, that keeps in secret his recipe from 1845. According to another tradition of Branca household, the name "Fernet" belonged to a Doctor fernet, a fictional Swede with whom Branca originally shared the credit for Fernet, presumably to add authority to claims of the drink's health benefits.

 The experience of drinking fernet has been described as: //"You shoot it, immediately getting a strong hit of mouthwash - drying the mouth out, stinging the tongue. Its kind of like getting hit in the nose. Your brain hurts, your eyes sting and water, you cough a bit. Then, as soon as it begins a warm wave of relief washes over and you are left baptized in Italian herbals and golf ball eyed awake."//