You Can Use Fernet As a Bitter for Cocktails
Last night when I was making three bottles of homemade Irish Cream (for gifts) I decided one of those bottles should be Kentucky Cream and reached for bourbon instead of Irish whiskey. By mixing cocoa powder, condensed milk, cream and whiskey (plus a pinch of salt and a little vanilla), I shaken it all up and gave the mixture some flavor. It was good, but something had to be. That something, my friends, was a spray of fernet.
Although I drink a cup of fernet (with ice, of course), not everyone likes its bitter, invigorating taste like I do. But even if full-fledged fernet is too much, it doesn’t mean that you should avoid it entirely. Like cocktail bitters, Fernet has a distinct herbal flavor that can add a bit of complexity to drinks if used sparingly. In Hanky Panky , for example, there are only a couple of dashes, and without them he wouldn’t be Hanky Panky (it would just be Gin & It , which is also good).
But besides the Hanky Panky, the fernet can be used like any cocktail bitter to add some spice to the drink. If you are using Fernet-Branca, the edge will be slightly minty and slightly medicinal; If you use Mexican fernet, it will be warmer and heavier to bake. I used some of the vanilla fern I had for my Kentucky Cream and loved it.