Fernet Con Coca
Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 8.1% ABV ∙
A build of Fernet Branca and cola served over ice in a Collins glass, the Fernet con Coca is Argentina's signature highball. Menthol and bitter herbs push through the cola's caramel sweetness, finishing dry and faintly medicinal — an easygoing sipper for a long night out.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Fernet Branca liqueur 45 mlCola 135 ml
- Garnish with a lemon wheel
Tips
- Finish with the lemon wheel on the rim — cola poured over the Fernet mixes the drink as it falls, which is why the card calls for no stirring at all.
- Use full, large ice cubes rather than crushed ice; smaller cubes melt faster and dilute the roughly 1:3 Fernet-to-cola ratio too quickly.
- Pour the cola slowly down the side of the glass over the Fernet to preserve fizz instead of stirring vigorously, which flattens the drink.
- Give the drink one gentle stir with a bar spoon, just enough to marry the layers, then garnish with a lemon wheel on the rim.
History
Fernet con Coca is a fernet-and-cola variation on the Cuba Libre, the rum-and-cola highball that originated in Cuba in the early 20th century, shortly after the country's independence from Spain following the Spanish-American War. Wikipedia and cocktail historians trace the drink to Havana around 1900, when American soldiers stationed on the island, who had brought Coca-Cola with them, began mixing it with Cuban rum, most often Bacardi. A widely repeated bar legend, recorded in sworn testimony given to Bacardi decades later, credits a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer named Russell with ordering rum and Coca-Cola with a wedge of lime at Havana's American Bar and toasting "Por Cuba libre" ("For a free Cuba"), a rallying cry from the independence struggle, giving the drink its name. Fernet con Coca keeps the cola but swaps in the bitter Italian amaro Fernet-Branca for the rum, a substitution rooted in Argentina, where Fernet had been popularized since Italian immigrants introduced it in the early 20th century and where mixing it with cola became a widespread local habit.
FAQ
What is a fernet and coke drink called?
It is called a Fernet con Coca, sometimes written Fernet y Coca. It is built from Fernet Branca and cola over ice, garnished with a lemon wheel, and is the everyday highball of Argentina.
How do you make a Fernet con Coca?
Build it directly in a Collins glass: pour the Fernet Branca over ice, then top with cola. No shaking, straining or stirring is involved, and it is typically finished with a lemon wheel.
What is the ratio of Fernet to Coke?
This build uses roughly one part Fernet Branca to three parts cola, which keeps the drink light at around 8% ABV. Some bars pour it stronger, closer to one-to-two, for a more bitter, spirit-forward glass.
What is good to mix with Fernet?
Cola is the classic partner, giving the Fernet con Coca its name and its balance of bitter herbs against caramel sweetness. Fernet Branca is also mixed with ginger ale, tonic water, or espresso in other regional variations.
Does Fernet get you drunk?
It can, but a Fernet con Coca is a relatively light drink at around 8% ABV once mixed with cola, closer to a beer than a spirit-forward cocktail. Fernet Branca itself is a strong amaro, typically around 39-40% ABV, before it's diluted with the mixer.
Why do bartenders like Fernet?
Bartenders often drink Fernet Branca as a shift drink because its bitter, herbal intensity works as a digestif and a palate reset after a long service. Poured with cola, it also became a popular, low-key bar order rather than a heavier spirit.
