Fernet

• Fernet-style amaro produced by Contratto Spirits in Canelli, Italy
• Extracts of 33 different herbs, spices, roots, and seeds, including aloe, licorice, saffron, anise, fennel, ginger, mint, myrrh, juniper, nutmeg, cinnamon, rhubarb, quassia, clove, and milk thistle
• Organic base distillate produced in Cuneo, Italy, from Italian wheat
• Botanicals are finely crushed through a hammer mill and cold macerated with hydroalcoholic solution for over 35 days
• The infusion is combined with the base distillate and sweetened with beet sugar
• The final blend is refrigerated, slowly filtered to remove all solids, and rested in a stainless steel tank for approximately 40 days
• Natural caramel added for color
• 60 grams of sugar per liter
• 30% ABV

Contratto’s take on fernet, the famously medicinal and bitter category of Italian amaro, displays expected flavors of mint, chamomile, and saffron, albeit more comforting verve than some of its brutish contemporaries. What may come as a surprise, however, is the spirit’s tremendous length and finesse, eschewing the burn often associated with the category and enticing newcomers to the passionate fernet fold.