Over 15 years as a drinks author, I’ve sampled extra liqueurs than I can rely. And whereas there’s a liqueur for each event, I choose the bitter finish of the spectrum. I typically sip an amaro after dinner or pair it with an easygoing beer. 

One among my favorites is fernet, the digestivo recognized for its bitter botanicals and natural profile. Italy’s Fernet-Branca, which dates to 1845, is the chief within the class and obtainable at most respected bars. However there’s a couple of solution to fernet.

My present favourite is the Japanese-made Scarlet Fernet Amaro, launched by Iseya Distillery in 2021 and launched stateside in 2024. 

The distillery was based by Tatsuya “Moto” Motonaga, a veteran bartender who labored at top-ranked spots like Bar Benfiddich in Tokyo. After he traveled round Europe, Motonaga was impressed to mix Italian tradition with Japanese character and established his distillery within the Kanagawa Prefecture, simply exterior of Tokyo. 

Iseya makes a spread of small-batch merchandise that features a number of bitters and amari. The road is comparatively unknown, even amongst bartenders, however extra bottles are discovering their manner into venues throughout the U.S. That’s excellent news for drinkers.

Scarlet Fernet Amaro options roughly 30 botanicals. About half are grown on Iseya Distillery’s farm, and the rest are sourced from elsewhere. Gentian, a traditional ingredient in lots of fernets, is restricted in Japan, so Motonaga depends on components like chicory and aloe for an area spin. 

The botanical mix additionally consists of palo santo, elderflower, sorrel, cinnamon, mint, galangal, and extra. All the things is macerated with a mix of aged and unaged spirits, sweetened with Okinawan uncooked cane sugar, and bottled at 36% ABV.

How does Scarlet Fernet differ from different fernets?

“Beginning with the aroma, the very first thing you’ll discover is that it’s a lot brighter, very heat and welcoming, moderately than the marginally medicinal aroma you get on the nostril of some fernets and amari,” says Trenton Crawford, bar supervisor at Urbano Cafe and its adjoining bar, Sylvestro, in Dallas. The workforce there shares a formidable assortment of amari, and it’s the place I first got here throughout Scarlet.

Crawford says that it has mixture of floral, citrus, and herbaceous notes, like elderflower, blood orange, and a mix of spearmint and peppermint. “The palate is superb,” says Crawford. It hits these bitter notes you count on, he says, but it surely’s a bit sweeter and extra approachable than Fernet-Branca. 

Scarlet’s proof is barely decrease than another bottles, and its distinctive depth of taste and umami-like high quality stays in your tongue lengthy after you’re taking a sip.

Crawford was intrigued to discover a European model of spirit reimagined by way of the Japanese palate and its maker’s very specific, exact methods. It’s one thing he likes to share with company, whether or not they’re longtime amaro heads or model new to the class. 

I’m nonetheless impressed by Scarlet’s potential to really feel so acquainted and totally different on the identical time. In a market flooded with bitters, liqueurs, and each spritz beneath the solar, it’s refreshing to search out one thing new that’s extra substance than model.

How must you drink it?

The brief reply is, nonetheless you want. With its cheap proof and well-balanced taste, Scarlet is ideal for sipping. 

“I like sipping on the Scarlet Fernet after a meal, and it’s undoubtedly deserving of a snifter, moderately than a shot glass,” says Koharu Usui, head bartender at Bar Goto in New York Metropolis. She says that the feel coats your palate and has a mild lingering sweetness from the Okinawan sugar. However you too can use it in cocktails, every part from a Black Manhattan to a Hanky Panky.

The Hanky Panky is an old-school traditional that requires equal components gin and candy vermouth, plus a pair dashes of Fernet-Branca. Usui likes it with Scarlet Fernet, the place she’ll up the quantity of amaro to a full teaspoon and pair it with a heavier vermouth like Carpano Antica. 

A bottle of Scarlet Fernet runs about $70, so it’s costlier than many different amari. However to make use of it a teaspoon at a time in cocktails — or to sip it at your leisure — ensures that you could savor each drop.