Cocktail of the Month: Fernet con Coca
By • June 10, 2026 One Comment 878
In a world divided by wars, tariffs and politics, the U.S. has a chance to unite nations for a change. This week marks the start of the World Cup in North America: 48 countries playing 104 matches in 16 cities in three host countries — it’s time for harmony!
Despite the home-field advantage, a Team USA championship is a long shot. Favored nations include 2022 runner-up France, led by star Kylian Mbappé; Spain, due to the team’s recent dominance; and the 2022 champion, Argentina, hoping to become the first winner of back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1962.
Portugal and Argentina lead the list in number of fans outside their home countries, thanks to the global popularity of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, respectively. Both nations also boast legions of fans that follow them throughout the world.
Argentina is so soccer crazy that there is a religion called the Maradonian Church (Iglesia Maradoniana). It honors Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to a World Cup victory in 1986 and is considered a god-like figure who brought joy to the working class.
If you happen to find yourself sitting next to an Argentinian at a match or in a Georgetown sports bar, what will he or she be drinking? The cocktail of choice: Fernet con Coca, affectionately known as the Fernandito.
It’s a simple mixture of amaro, a bitter herbal liqueur commonly consumed as an after-dinner digestif, and Coca-Cola. The original amaro, Fernet-Branca, hails from Italy and several brands have appeared in Argentina since its popularization. Pre-made versions of this highball are also sold in shops.
My first experience with the tipple occurred years ago in Bolivia, where I was visiting Pablo Darwin Contreras Machado, the brother of my Peruvian-Argentinian friend Lowell Haise Contreras. His fiancée had just graduated from university and we were celebrating her success.
My thoughts were initially mixed. Forged from a secret recipe of between 27 and 40 herbs, roots and spices steeped in a grape-based spirit, Fernet can be an acquired taste.
The Fernandito blends these herbaceous notes with sweet, fizzy Coca-Cola. At first, the minty taste threw me off, but after several sips I found it an interestingly refreshing, bittersweet concoction.
Fernet has long been popular in southeastern South America due to the large number of Italian immigrants in the region.
It is said that the cocktail first became popular among students in the college town of Córdoba in the 1980s, sparked by an advertising campaign led by Fratelli Branca Distillerie, makers of Fernet.
Consumption of Fernet-Branca increased during the following decades, becoming widespread throughout the country, surpassed only by that of beer and wine. It’s now considered a cultural icon of Argentina. The drink is so popular there that the nation consumes more than 75 percent of all Fernet produced worldwide.
Last year, during a three-week sojourn across northern Argentina, I spent three days in Córdoba, staying in an Airbnb with a local woman, Maria. I arrived with alfajores, a famous local sweet treat, while she offered me a “Fernandito.” Again, the bitter and sweet flavors seemed conflicted at first, but the drink was the perfect foil for the sugary pastries.
Should you decide to jump on the Messi bandwagon, this would be an excellent nod to his home country. No matter what team you support, it’s a unifying drink to serve at a viewing party. Or hoist a glass to at your local watering hole: all-American Coca-Cola blended with European and Latin American panache!
Fernet Coca
2 oz. Fernet-Branca
4 to 6 oz. Coca-Cola
Fill a tall Collins glass halfway with small ice cubes. Add the Fernet, then slowly pour the Coke into the center of the ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge or twist.
Note: The ice cubes allow the effervescence to naturally mix and pouring the Coke into the center creates a frothy head.
Love the recipies