Branca: A Spirited Italian Icon by Rizzoli International Publications

THE BIRTH OF THE DISTILLERIE BRANCA

It all begins under a clear blue sky. A pair of wings fills the upper half of the scene, stretched out by powerful muscles in a body that should logically be on the ground, but that is lifted out in an effortless flight by a complex architecture, by an interplay of atmospheric pressure and the curves of the eagle. In the lower half of the scene there is a globe emerging from the clouds, still steeped in the dark hue of dawn, the same colour as the distillate contained in the bottle that the eagle grasps in its claws. Below the flying eagle is the word BRANCA, written in big capitals over a red background, on a band wrapped around the Equator. A little further down, the name appears again, along the label of the real bottle: “FernetBranca, from the Fratelli Branca Distilleries, Milan, Via Broletto, near the Church of San Tomaso”. Via Broletto is still the location of the Company’s Head Office. Since 1913 the production plant has been relocated in Via Resegone. The building in Via Resegone replaced the original plant of Viale di Porta Nuova, which had been the Branca production site since 1845, when this became too small. The Via Resegone building was planned and built in the space of only five years. Wherever you happen to be in the world, you can be sure that you can savour this experience intact. Distillerie Branca have been producing Fernet for 170 years, maintaining its flavour unchanged in the cool silence of the cellars in Via Resegone. And while it matures in the underground of Milan, on the surface the happy chaos of the industrious city patiently awaits… The cycle has been repeating itself year on year since as long ago as 1845, when the Distillerie opened in the centre of Milan. We have proudly maintained this location, to preserve intact the character and the originality of our unique products, which have succeeded in captivating Italy and the world. Character and originality are not words chosen at random. Bernardino Branca, the founder, must be credited with inventing not just a new product, but a new product category: fernet. Not an everyday achievement, and one comparable perhaps to that of Carpano, the inventor of vermouth. Since 1982 Carpano has been part of the Branca family. Fernet is not a brand name, but the generic name of a drink belonging to the class of distilled wines. The process for making it resembles that of vermouth, in that both are made from the maceration of herbs. The difference is that while to make vermouth the herbs are macerated in wine, to make fernet the maceration is done in alcohol. Furthermore the

Left: first creation of the Fernet-Branca logo, realised by Leopoldo Metlicovitz, dated 1893. In the following pages: courtyard of the plant in Via Resegone. Original photo dated early 1900s.

The birth of the Distillerie Branca A journey through time and space. In the sip of today past and future dissolve, and all that matters is the present moment.

One of the first bottles of Fernet-Branca still held at the Branca Collection Museum, pre-1880. In the previous page: small blackboard showing the unique “identity card” of the batches of product held in the barrels of Via Resegone, in Milan.

It is difficult to put the taste in words without recourse to a catalogue of adjectives: unique, classical, and unmistakable. Words do not mean much, compared to what Fernet-Branca can say for itself. Some people like to drink it on its own, in the most direct way; others prefer it in a mix, with tonic or soda water, with a bitter soda drink like Chinotto, or with ginger ale. Generally sodas emphasise its versatility, toning down its bitterness and accentuating its generous structure. Fernandito, a mix of Fernet-Branca and Cola, is a favourite in Argentina because it is an excellent aperitif, simple and refreshing. Fernet-Branca has always been a protagonist in mixed drinks, a core ingredient of some of the best cocktails invented by the most famous barmen – from Jerry Thomas (1830-1885), considered the inventor of modern mixing, to the new generations of barmen and mixologists. A timeless classic is Hanky-Panky, created by Ada Coleman, or “Coley”, the innovative bartender at the London Savoy in the 1920s. Her recipe: a mix of Fernet-Branca, gin and Carpano Antica Formula vermouth. Aroma and taste. If it had a voice, Fernet-Branca would be a baritone saxophone: deep, full of body and capable of crisp high notes. It does not have a voice, but it has a colour: dark and bold, veering towards gold hues thanks to the saffron. Evidence that a pleasurable experience always starts from the eyes. Because of its complexity, it is difficult at first, it refuses to be tamed. To choose it you need a desire to discover complex flavours, you need patience, you need a strong personality, you need to be able to trust quality. Your trust is completely rewarded: once you have tried and understood Fernet-Branca, it is impossible to go back. Like all high quality distillates, Fernet-Branca must be approached slowly and carefully, to enable all its complex layers to unfold and be enjoyed. The experience begins with the label. To us, it is a great joy and a responsibility to see our name on every bottle; to you, it is a guarantee that what you have is an authentic product, that your senses will be taken on a journey in true Italian style: warm and friendly.

Fratelli Branca was amongst the first companies to use this imported technique for its publicity campaigns: it was in this period that the calendars and the publicity posters we all know and remember began to appear in bars and restaurants all over Italy – and later all over the world. The images used for the calendars constitute as a visual commentary of the events of that time. The female figure was central: the images showed young seductive women, who represented the “ephemeral nature of the calendar”, as graphic designer Giorgio Fioravanti put it. Males rarely appeared alongside females in the images, and even when they did, they were not centre stage.

Poster dated 1920 by Jean D’Ylen.

Calendar from 1887.

“Lady with a basket”. Poster attributed to Marcello Dudovich, appeared around 1920.

Billboard for Carpano, by Achille Mauzan, from the 1930s.

Billboard by Armando Testa, from the 1960s.

Hanky Panky INGREDIENTS

45 ml

Carpano Antica Formula

Drops Fernet-Branca

45 ml

London Dry Gin

GARNISH / Orange Peel GLASS / Coupette TECHNIQUE / Mixing Glass

The story In the early 1920s, according to the legend, on tasting the latest creation of Ada Coleman – first female chief bartender, whose customers included Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich and Mark Twain – Sir Charles Hawtrey, famous cocktail taster cried out:

“By Jove! That is the real hanky panky!” No foul play there, just one secret ingredient: Fernet-Branca. Despite the literal meaning of the name, Hanky Panky soon became a classic amongst mixers.

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

BUENOS AIRES Café La Biela

BRAZIL

2 URUGUAY

CÓRDOBA

PACIFIC OCEAN

EL CALAFATE Glaciobar Branca

BUENOS AIRES CILE

ATLANTIC OCEAN

3 CÓRDOBA Cosquin Rock

EL CALAFATE

STRAIT OF MAGELLAN

FALKLAND ISLANDS (UK)

20/21 JULY THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE FRIEND

CAPE HORN

Día del Amigo

Capital Federal, Córdoba, Rio IV, Rosario, Mendoza, Tucumán, Santa Fé, San Juan, La Plata, Bahía Blanca, Catamarca, Salta and Paraná

169

THE TRIP TO ARGENTINA

A TOUR AROUND ARGENTINA, IN THE COMPANY OF FERNET-BRANCA La Biela

Glaciobar Branca

Cosquin Rock

The café La Biela has been in the Recoleta district of Buenos Aires for over 150 years, and was declared a “site of cultural importance” by the city’s authorities in 1999. On the front wall of the building, above the front door, there is a sculpture of the iconic Fernet-Branca logo – the eagle that flies across the world holding a bottle in its claws – surrounded by other significant images in the history of the Branca brand.

In 2011, Fratelli Branca inaugurated the first bar made out of ice ever to be built in South America. The bar is in El Calafate, in southern Argentina, and if offers its customers a large variety of cocktails, made exclusively with Branca products in temperatures of -10C. For its inauguration, the famous bartender Juan Luciani created a new “trago”: Glaciobar Branca, an exotic cocktail made with classic Fernet-Branca, mixed with a little of Calafate (made with amaretto, pineapple juice and Cafalate liqueur), a typical liqueur and homage to the host location.

The most important rock festival in Argentina is held every year in the Cordoba province and attracts thousands of young people, who gather there to listen to national and international bands play. The mountains around Cordoba provide the right ambience for such spectacular gigs, featuring rock, reggae and heavy metal. Branca’s passion for the most diverse forms of artistic expression has meant that for the past eleven years it has been the official sponsor of the festival.

FERNET-BRANCA CELEBRATES ALL OVER ARGENTINA THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE FRIEND It was the year 1969. The race to conquer space had reached its climax. Enrique Ernesto Febbraro, a history and philosophy teacher, as well as musician and dentist, originally from the city of Lomas de Zamora, chose the 20th of July – the day man landed on the moon – to celebrate the very special moment of the whole of mankind coming together. This is how the International Day of the Friend was born. Over a number of years, Febbraro had made contact with people in more than 100 countries suggesting that an important relationship such as friendship should be celebrated everywhere in the world through an internationally recognised day. 700 people responded enthusiastically to his idea and joined in the initiative. If friends are the occasion for the celebration, Branca has to be involved. On the 20th and 21st of July every year, the Branca Group participates in the festivities for the International Day of the Friend in the main pubs and bar-restaurants in Capital Federal, Córdoba, Rio Cuarto, Rosario, Mendoza, Tucumán, Santa Fé, San Juan, La Plata, Bahía Blanca, Catamarca, Salta and Paraná, organising a number of exciting events.