Fernet Francisco Manzanilla

Fernet Francisco Manzanilla is a chamomile-forward fernet from San Francisco, California — 40% ABV, 750mL — built on the original Fernet Francisco base of 12 hand-picked botanicals layered with German chamomile. Launched in 2015 by Ben Flajnik and Max Rudsten, Fernet Francisco was the first original fernet made in the Bay Area, distilled by Farid Dormishian with very little residual sugar for a drier, more modern fernet. Order online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA, and taste California's answer to the Italian fernet tradition.

• ABV: 40%
• Size: 750mL
• Edition: Manzanilla (chamomile) — floral edition of the original fernet
• Botanicals: 12 hand-picked, led by rhubarb root, gentian root, orris root, cardamom, bay leaf, German chamomile, plus mint and citrus
• Base: Local grape-based brandy; vapor-infused botanicals
• Origin: San Francisco Bay Area, California

California's First Original Fernet

Italian fernet spent two centuries in Milan and the Piedmont before Fernet Francisco launched in San Francisco in April 2015 — the first fernet actually invented in the Bay Area. The production is unusually deliberate: core botanicals are vapor-infused by distiller Farid Dormishian, then blended with separate herbal infusions, and the finished fernet carries very little residual sugar, so it reads less syrupy and more nervy than Old World fernet. The Manzanilla edition leans on German chamomile ("manzanilla" in Spanish) for a floral-tea register over the bitter base. See the full Fernet Francisco lineup and more amaro and bitters.

Tasting Notes

The nose is intensely herbal — chamomile and dried herbs with a faint menthol lift. The palate is full-on bitter fernet: herbal root bitterness, floral tea, light mint, and citrus peel. The chamomile softens without sweetening, and the finish is long, dry, and lingering-bitter — classic fernet, with a floral signature.

How to Enjoy

Chilled and neat as a digestivo, or the San Francisco way — a "fernet and Coke" (fernet con coca) over ice. It also works as the bitter engine in a Toronto or a Hanky Panky, where the chamomile finds the sweet vermouth's herbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "manzanilla" mean in Fernet Francisco Manzanilla?

Manzanilla is Spanish for chamomile. This edition is a chamomile-forward fernet — it is not finished in manzanilla-sherry casks.

Who makes Fernet Francisco?

Fernet Francisco launched in April 2015 in the San Francisco Bay Area, founded by Ben Flajnik and Max Rudsten — the first original fernet invented in the Bay Area. It's distilled by Farid Dormishian.

What is fernet?

Fernet is a bitter Italian-style amaro, traditionally made from a maceration of roots, herbs, and spices. It's sipped chilled as a digestivo or used as a bitter modifier in cocktails like the Toronto and Hanky Panky.

Bring the Bay Area's fernet home — order Fernet Francisco Manzanilla online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.