The bottle form the far corner of the bottom shlef.

I came into Donnas house today and on the table was a bottle of Fernet Branca. The bottle was old and I recognized it as the bottle that I had brought from San Francisco when I first moved here in 1970. The bottle had belonged to my grandfather and I had gained control of it when he passed away in 1967. My grandfather had taught me to drink Fernet when I was a kid. In an Italian family If any one had any stomach issue, you drank Fernet. If you weren’t hungry and needed your appetite stimulated you drank Fernet. Fernet was the only alcoholics beverage that was legal during prohibition because of its medicinal properties.

Fernet has been a part of my life for over 50 years. Andrea and I finish all of our dinner parties with Fernet and frequently people will ask “what is this stuff.” I always replay that in the old days they listed the ingredients on the label but not any more.

Now, after 40 plus years of hiding in the back of a lower cupboard corner the ingredients present themselves. It is a big thing or me to have this family relic return to me. I had a great relationship with my grandfather and I attempted to do what ever he did. Fernet is the tradition he introduced me to and that I still partake in. This bottle will travel home with us and take its place in a prominent place in our kitchen, the heart of our house.