Fernet Branca

Photo by Fernet Branca

Though I was a bit critical of the book Replay by Marc Levy in my forthcoming review in Washington Independent Review of Books, I did learn about a new drink that pays a pivotal role in the plot -- Fernet Branca and coke.

I've been meaning to get some Fernet Branca anyway, but wasn't sure what I would do with it. Mixing it with coke, it turns out, is something like the national drink of Argentina and it is the Argentina connection that figures in Levy's plot.

Web sites describe Fernet Branca as an acquired taste, and I have to admit drinking it straight is a hard swallow. However, it does mix astonishingly well with coke at about 2 to 1. Could be a good drink for the upcoming Argentina vs. Germany in the World Cup final.