The Frisco Fog

Its no secret that the Bleecker Street Bar (where I work) has become a de-facto San Francisco bar. Many faithful of the Giants, Niners, Warriors and Sharks have come here in droves since 2010 fueled by many of our staff members being from the Bay Area and cultivating the San Fran/Bay Area clientele. For those of you who don't know, Fernet Branca is one of the most (if not the most) popular spirit in San Francisco. We've even added the staple of San Francisco area drinkers Fernet Branca to the bar. William Bostwick in his article Fernet Branca: A Real San Francisco Treat from the Food Republic website states that:

San Franciscans drink the most Fernet in the U.S. Thirty-five percent of the country's imported bottles are poured out here.

The main demographic who consumes Fernet seems to be bartenders who according to Bostwick:

If you order a shot, the bartender will ask, "Where do you work?" Only bartenders drink it, the thinking goes, because no one else will notice if the bottles get empty.

So based on that line of thinking a favorite way of drinking Fernet in San Francisco is with a chaser of Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer known as a "bartender’s handshake". My good friend and co-worker Ms. Jen Charles decided to take the two staples of a bartender's handshake and make it in the way one would make a Dark 'n Stormy. She's dubbed this cocktail a Frisco Fog:

Frisco Fog
Gosling's Ginger Beer
Fernet Branca

In a glass with ice, fill the glass 2/3 of the way with Ginger Beer and layer the Fernet Branca over the top.

The look of the cocktail is very much how a Dark 'n Stormy looks like. After giving it a quick stir, I decided to give it a try. Now going into this I am not a big fan of Fernet Branca but in this form I actually like it very much. The herbal profile of Fernet Branca (40 ingredients make up Fernet including saffron, aloe, gentian, myrrh, iris, bitter orange and galangal) mixed with the sweet kick of the Ginger Beer makes for a very tasty cocktail. I find that both the Fernet and the Ginger Beer compliment one another very nicely without one overpowering the other. The Ginger Beer isn't too sweet while the Fernet isn't too herbal. This very much tastes like a nice summertime cocktail. Thanks to Jen for the cocktail recommendation.

Give it a taste and let me know what you think.

Until Then Happy Drinking,
Sisco Vanilla