Geijer Spirits California Fernet. Fernet is often synonymously used to refer to Fernet Branca, but fernet is actually an entire category of spirit, and there’s quite the variation within the group (fernet is the product type, while Branca is the distillery name).

Fernet is a sub-category of amaro, which is a traditional Italian bitter(sweet) liqueur generally drank after meals to aid digestion. Many Italian amaro are quite on the sweet side, and what distinguishes the “fernet” group is that they tend to be extra bitter, higher alcohol %, contain little or no sugar, and usually contain botanicals that make them a bit “mintier.”

I’ve tried a fair share of fernets (8+) and actually now own 4 (read about them here), and this is by far one of the most approachable. It’s full of warm flavors of mulling spices (clove, allspice, etc) and actually reminds me of Angostura bitters. It’s very mild for a fernet and I would say it’s more similar to a general amaro, though it is a full 40% abv, has limited sweetness, and a slight mentholated backbone.

Geijer Spirits’ products are inspired by Scandinavian heritage and traditional Swedish libations such as their nutty&fruity mulled wine (“glögg”). This is a delicious amaro that’s fantastic for anyone who likes the idea of fernet and wants to start embracing it more, but is not quite yet ready for that shot of Fernet Branca. (aka me)

What are your thoughts on fernets and which have you tried?