Fernet Branca—the dark, mentholated, Italian elixir that helped popularize amaro culture in the United States—contains zero Italian-sourced ingredients, or at least none that it admits to. In classic amaro tradition, Fratelli Branca maintains tight-lipped secrecy around its recipe, but what we do know is that it is composed of rhubarb from China, gentian from France, and galangal from Sri Lanka, among many other spices and aromatics. 

The brand’s logo—an eagle soaring over the globe, talon grasping a bottle—represents the drink’s international, spice-trade-driven existence, and quest to seek out the world’s greatest botanicals. When Fratelli Branca was founded in 1845, those flavors were less accessible and explored, requiring the eagle’s wide-ranging expeditions. But since then, the amaro category has changed dramatically—and so have its producers.