The Ferrari at Finns Corner August 15, 2019

I really love my regulars. They're my bread and butter. For all you bartenders out there who might be reading this, if you don't like your regulars or think less of them when they are the only customers that you have at your bar,  then you need to get out of the business. As my buddy Ace says: "Regulars pay the rent." They really do and I want to thank all of my regulars from the bottom of my heart. Back to the drink at hand.

My regulars are made up of different people from different places and walks of life that come together at Finns Corner (660 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn NY.) They come to watch sports, have intellectual engagement such as the New York Times crossword, book reviews and spirited conversation. Simply put they come to my bar, put bread in my jar while having a great time. I also have regulars who work in the business and like to share with me their favorite concoctions.

Now for those of you who have followed my adventures throughout the years (or misadventures based on your POV 😝,)  you know how much I love experimenting while behind the bar. Here is one such experiment that comes from my friend Liam.

Liam, who bartended at a number of places in Red Hook. came in to Finn's Corner on Tuesday night and he likes to order a shot that he calls a Ferrari. As you can see from the picture, a Ferrari is equal parts Campari and Fernet. Campari and Fernet on their own can be interesting on the palate. Campari is quite bitter while Fernet can come across as being very herbaceous. But both together in equal parts??? How does that taste??? I'll quote Karly who joined Liam in the shot: "It tastes like a shot of Vicks VapoRub." 🤣🤣🤣 To quote my friend Chuck: "I'm done son. I'm done." 

You down to try it? Belly up to the bar at Finn's Corner. I'll pour one for ya.

Next post will focus on the Blue Point Brewery of Patchogue, Long Island. Keep your eyes peeled for it

Until Then Happy Drinking
SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanilla
#SiscoVanillaHasABrewski
#SiscoVanillaBeerChronicles 

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

The Angry Wine

I came across a recipe in the Mar/Apr 2012 issue Mutineer Magazine in their section called Drink Night Cocktails. Under the Theme of "W(H)INE was a cocktail called "She Said We Should Be Friends" by SeanMike Whipkey of scofflawden.com. Here is the recipe as listed in the magazine:

- 4 oz Dark Red Wine
- 2 oz Fernet-Branca
- 1/4 oz aromatic Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing fresh ice

Since I had two lovely and beautiful Fernet-Branca drinkers sitting at the Bleecker Street Bar (you know who you are) I decided to make them said cocktail. John was also in attendance so I had each of them try the drink. I used a Pinot Noir as the dark red wine portion of the drink. All three gave me a nasty look after tasting the drink. The name Angry Wine was coined after I told them what was in the drink.

Fernet-Branca is described by the website Rome File as being:

a dark, syrupy alcoholic drink similar to an amaro, with a flavour that's best described as being a cross between medicine, crushed plants and bitter mud. The exact recipe of Fernet-Branca is a secret but the producers, Fratelli Branca Distillerie, do say that it contains 27 different herbs and spices taken from four continents. Among the known ingredients are aloe, gentian root, rhubarb, gum myrrh, red cinchona bark, galanga and zedoary. The rumoured ingredients include saffron.

The bartender who created this recipe describes his motivation for creating it:

(Refering to the name of "She Said We Should Be Friends") This is a lament that many a gentleman has had, and as I sat during the night, drinking a rather good glass of red wine, it hit me that the herby, bittery goodness that is Fernet Branca might match well with the red wine.

I sent SeanMike a tweet asking him what red wine he had used in the recipe. I'm waiting to hear back from him. Perhaps I used the wrong wine or wrong measurements. I'll update the post if and when I hear back from him.

Until then. Happy Drinking
Sisco Vanilla

For Further Reading
- Click Here to access the article Fernet Branca from the Alta Cucina Inc. Website for another description and recipes containing Fernet Branca