Fernandito Cocktail Recipe
Fernet and cola over plenty of ice. Two ingredients, and in Argentina practically a national habit.
- Category: New Era Drinks
- Glass: Highball glass
- ABV: 12%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Fernet40 ml (1.4 oz)
- Cola120 ml (4.1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a highball glass to the top with ice.
- Pour in the fernet.
- Top with cold cola and stir once.
Garnish
None
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, it has a green, botanical backdrop and it is carbonated.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A tall, narrow highball. The narrowness does real work — less surface area means the carbonation lasts longer and the ice melts more slowly.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Fernet
- A bitter, menthol-edged herbal amaro; with very little sugar, it balances the sweetness of cola. Even a small pour dominates, so do not scale it up.
- Cola
- Full-sugar and diet cola do not give the same drink: diet leaves the body thin and the spirit exposed. Plenty of ice and cola added last keeps the fizz.
The Story
Córdoba, Argentina, in the 1980s. The country now drinks a large share of the world's Fernet-Branca, almost all of it this way.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Fernandito mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a highball glass.
- How strong is a Fernandito?
- Roughly 12% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Fernandito be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Fernandito hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.