Mintonic — Branca's mint fernet over crushed ice and tonic, muddled with lime

Mintonic

Branca's mint fernet over crushed ice and tonic, muddled with lime

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 2 wedgesLime
    Muddled in the base of the glass
  • 6 ozTonic Water
    Ice-cold, poured over crushed ice
  • 1 1/2 ozBrancamenta
    One part to four parts tonic
    Substitute: Fernet-Branca with a mint syrup, which is where it came from
  • 1 tspBrown Sugar
    Muddled with the lime
    Substitute: Demerara syrup

Instructions

  1. Muddle 2 lime wedges with 1 tsp brown sugar in the base of a highball
  2. Fill the glass with crushed ice
  3. Pour 1 1/2 oz Brancamenta over the ice, then top with 6 oz cold tonic
  4. Garnish with a sprig of mint

Technique Notes

Crushed ice, and a lot of it. This is one part spirit to four parts tonic and it is meant to drink cold and long; cubes give you a first half that is all menthol and a second half that is water.

Why the Mintonic Works

Peppermint oil over the Fernet herb bill is already a loud combination, and tonic is the rare mixer with enough bitterness of its own not to be flattened by it. Lime keeps the menthol from reading as toothpaste, which is the failure mode of every mint drink.