Featured Cocktail of the Week: Branca Bar’s #2
This week’s featured cocktail of the week takes us to Logan Square pop-up bar, Branca Bar.
If you’ve ever tried the Italian liqueur, Fernet-Branca, chances are that you’ve either sipped it in a cordial glass or shot it like any other spirit.
The bitter herbal liqueur is one that leaves your palette a bit confused. The bitters used to make the liqueur alone are made from 27 herbs and other ingredients. Thus, you get a very herbal, very bitter drink that leaves an aftertaste on your taste buds.
Generally seen as a digestif, Fernet was intended to promote health benefits like relief for those who feel they may have overeaten or as a hangover cure.
While the liqueur has been used in classic cocktails such as the “Toronto” or “Hanky Panky,” it is generally one of the more difficult liqueurs to incorporate into cocktails.
Branca Bar, has flipped that idea on it’s head.
At this bar, every single cocktail has the herbal liqueur, or its mint counterpart (Branca Menta), featured. Branca Bar has embraced Fernet and has made it the star of it’s show, attempting to feature it in a bevy of options including having both Fernet-Branca and Branca Menta on tap as well as using old Fernet bottles to house candles.
The space is one that is very open and minimal, bringing to mind the idea of being in a loft. The darts board, pool table, and giant tv projector only enhance the idea. Hip hop can be heard through the sound system as you converse with your companions.
Their cocktail list is simply named, you can order a #1 through #9, each cocktail showcasing Fernet in its own way.
This week’s featured cocktail is the #2. The drink sports a cloudy yellow hue, accented by fresh mint leaves poking out the top.
The first taste of the drink bears minimal Fernet, instead honey and lime come to the forefront. The first sip is fantastic, and as you taste the drink again, you are hit with the slight hint of the Fernet and a herbaceous bitterness that compliments the original flavor combination of honey and mint. It is a pure summer drink, meant to be sipped on a patio with a pair of shades on.
The drink does lend itself to the sweeter side but not in a way that is overbearing. Consisting of Fernet-Branca, Amaro Del Capo, honey mint soda, lime, and mint: the Fernet and Amaro are crucial in balancing out the sweetness in the cocktail. It is a creative use of Fernet, utilizing it as a compliment, and one that accomplishes its goal of creating an inviting cocktail.
Although the #2 is a bit sweet, other cocktails such as the #3 and #6 showcase Fernet front and center. The cocktail list is crafted with everyone in mind, from neat and rocks drinks to stiff or sweet cocktails.
A Fernet and Coke combination is also available, a very popular way to enjoy Fernet similar to whiskey.
The beer list is highlighted by popular lock breweries Half Acre and Metropolitan, as well as the popular double IPA, Pipework’s Ninja vs Unicorn. And for $3 more, one can add a shot of Fernet or Menta to your beer.
Branca Bar is one of a kind experience, but if you’re looking for your Fernet fix, you better go now. Branca Bar is a pop up bar that has been open for three months, and will be closing on May 9th before a new pop up bar is slated to open.
Run by the owners of Emporium, (the popular beercade that resides right next door to Branca Bar and even shares a connecting hallway with them) the space where Branca Bar currently lives has been deemed a rotating pop up bar space, ensuring that the pop up bars never overdo their stay and attracting customers before the bar flips over.
But if Branca Bar is any indication, we’re all in for a treat with the opening of Emporium’s next pop up bar.
Branca Bar is located at 2367 N Milwaukee Ave and is open:
Monday-Thursday 5p-2a | Friday 3p-2a | Saturday 12p-3a | Sunday 12p-2a.
