Ferrari — Equal parts fernet and red aperitivo, swirled in a short glass

Ferrari

Equal parts fernet and red aperitivo, swirled in a short glass

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1 ozFernet Pianta
    The black half, mint and myrrh
    Substitute: Another mint-forward fernet
  • 1 ozRed Aperitivo
    The red half; any Italian-style red bitter

Instructions

  1. Pour 1 oz Fernet Pianta and 1 oz red aperitivo into a short rocks glass

    No ice; both halves should already be cold

  2. Add an orange peel and swirl the glass once

Technique Notes

No ice and no stirring beyond a swirl. Both halves are already at drinking strength and both are already cold if the bottles are kept where they should be; adding ice would stretch a drink that is meant to be over in three mouthfuls.

Why the Ferrari Works

Fernet is menthol and bitterness with almost no sugar behind it; a red aperitivo is sugar and orange with a fraction of the bitterness. At equal parts neither wins, and the orange peel over the top gives the mint somewhere to go.