I think I might gag, but then, I don't think I've ever had Cynar. I usually see it within a bottle or two from the Fernet. :eek:

Classic digestif just like the schnap(p)s in Central and Northern Europe. For that purpose only...;)

I had never tried Fernet until I moved to San Francisco. It's a serious fad here, chased with ginger ale. I don't get it. I'll take a Campari and soda, please.

If Fernet on the table, how can we ignore "Punt e Mes", the Italian Dr. Pepper syrup with enough quinine to cure a spell of malaria?

Another thing I've never had, which I often see either next to the Fernet, or next to the Cynar, or between the two of them.

Had it once in Italy. Reminded me of Fletcher's Castoria from my childhood.

Blecch.

I do drink it (not enjoyably) when me stomach is messed up. Supposedly San Francisco and New Orleans drink almost all of it in the US. In the mid-80s it disappeared for a year or 2 and was reformulated (without the opiates, says the legend). It was a major hangover reliever at the time. Gino & Carlos in N Beach in SF stocked up (big time)and still had some 'Old Fernet' a few years back, if you knew the bartenders. wj

Although I pesonally don't mind Cynar, I've always thought of it as a bad joke played on those who believe you can make alcohol out of anything. Indeed, you can.

Its a great wine selection with great specials on alcohol but price is high. Taste is not good enough and bitter and I hate its high liquors. Its made from herbs spices and grape spirit. Its like better version of jager and flat coke.

I've become used to Fernet over the years, but it certainly must be done in one gulp to make the experience as brief as possible. I still like it better than Averna, which is too sweet. I find the spiciness of Underberg interesting. It's a bit like doing a shot Angustera Bitters. It's hard to believe that Fernet's taste could be worsened without the addition of a dead body, rotting fish, or both - but it can - I give you the vilest of the vile BRANCA MENTA ! wj

Funny, I just went down to our corner liquor store to get a bottle of Campari. There was no Campari, but there were two sizes of Fernet.

Ahhhh.......Fernet..... feeling nostalgic for the bay area

Been in Hawaii for the last 2+ years and actually miss the stuff. Very hard to find on the islands. Definitely an SFO bartender favorite. Best way to consume -- don't waste time, no sipping..drink the entire shot and follow with ginger ale.

I blame this thread entirely for my Fernet habit on the vacation I just took! Fortunately, there were plenty of Italians, and thus they had well stocked bars - it was fun to drink it again, albeit after dinner, not the morning after!

I thought of this thread when I saw the following drink listed on the cocktail menu of a local restaurant: Moxie Mule - Stirrings ginger liqueur, Fernet, muddled lemon wedges, and Moxie.

Moxie is a carbonated beverage that was one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. One way, but certainly not the only way, to describe it is carbonated, non-alcoholic Jagermeister.

Fernet? Love that stuff