Say hello to Fernet Branca, one of Italy's most famous amari. Made by the Fratelli Branca Distillerie, the alluringly herbaceous liquor with its distinctly bitter taste and spicy finish was invented in 1845. There are other brands of Fernet, but Fernet Branca is the big daddy of them all, and the formula of herbs and spices such as saffron, myrrh, linden, camomile, cinnamon, bitter orange, and gentian remains a closely held industrial secret.

Long respected as a digestivo, a bit of Fernet will right you if you've overdone it at the table, opening your stomach and promoting digestion. It has been touted as a cure for numerous maladies, and remarkably, during American Prohibition, Fernet was imported and sold in the United States for "medicinal purposes only."

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Fonte: L'italo-Americano