Day Three Hundred One: Fernet Branca

I promise we do way more than just drink, but it just so happens that Argentina has provided us with several new drinks to try. Tonight, Jeff picked up a Fernet Branca, which seems to be everywhere and which people always seem to be talking about. It's actually an Italian amaro, or bitter spirit, but Argentina's history is filled with Italian imigrants, and this drink has made it's way into the local culture. It is made with myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, with a base of grape distilled spirits, and it has a high alcohol content. It is one of the most awful things I have ever put in my mouth, and I could barely get through one little sip! It kind of reminds me of mixing a mint julep (which I do not enjoy in the least, despite it's pretty-sounding name) with the really bad kind of cough syrup that made me gag as a kid. Even bad Firsts are good Firsts, though, because you truly never know until you try!

A bottle of sadness