Review: This Cocktail Is an Argentine Cultural Icon

Fernet-Branca, an intensely bitter Italian liqueur, has become a cultural icon in Argentina, especially in Córdoba province. The popularity of Fernet con Coca, a mix of the liqueur and Coca-Cola, shows how an Italian spirit and an American soft drink have been embraced as part of Argentine culture.

Argentina accounts for more than 75 per cent of worldwide Fernet-Branca consumption, with nearly 30 per cent of it consumed in Córdoba. People there drink more Fernet-Branca than the whole of Italy. The drink pairs the liqueur’s bitter, earthy character with the sweetness of full-sugar Coca-Cola, and has been likened in advertisements to tango as a defining part of Argentina’s cultural identity.