From the historic Contratto company comes a version of this classic Italian bitter that boasts over 150 years of history. The secret recipe calls for the use of 33 botanicals - including myrrh, chamomile, rhubarb and mint - that are crushed through a hammer mill and then cold-extracted through a hydro-alcoholic solution. After mixing with water, alcohol and sugar, and subsequent refrigeration and filtration to remove any residue, it is matured in steel tanks for about 40 days. With its notes of balsamic herbs on a pleasantly bitter background, Fernet is excellent at the end of a meal as a digestive, but is also enhanced in some cocktails with Ginger Ale.