Branca Menta Liqueur (700ml)

Fratelli Branca Distillerie S.r.l. is a well-established Italian company owned by the Branca Family. It has been characterized by its global marketing and creation of a world famous bitter liquor made from herbs and roots, 'Fernet Branca'. 'Brancamenta' was created in the mid 1960s, when a glass of Fernet-Branca with a hint of mint syrup was all the rage. It's produced from Piedmontese peppermint leaves and over 30 herbs and spices. Deep sienna brown colour with a gold ochre hue and a viscous appearance. The intense aroma smells like fresh peppermint and is also reminiscent of a peppermint and honeycomb boiled lolly familiar to many Australians - ‘Castlemaine Rock’. With time in the glass a subtle lanolin note develops. The alcohol is virtually indiscernible in this liqueur as the soft, silky, glycerous texture glides through the mouth. Peppermint freshness and citrus peel relieves the sweetness, but the peppermint really swamps the palate making this a rather one dimensional drink, finishing medium dry with the boiled lolly / peppermint theme persisting with good length. Both texture wise and with its authentic mint character, this liqueur would no doubt make a valuable contribution in the cocktail scene.

Other reviews... While Fernet-Branca dates to 1845, Branca-Menta was released in the 1960s, the result of younger drinkers who were putting mint syrup in their Fernet. Take standard Fernet-Branca and add peppermint and menthol, and you’ve got Menta. However, the current recipe is much lower in alcohol. The mint is immediately evident on the nose, and it brings out a cocoa character in the aroma that ultimately smells a lot like mint chocolate. Sweetness is evident as you take a sip — this is no ultra-bitter fernet but rather a more modern styling — and the palate hits like a mint-flavored glass of espresso, heavily dosed with sugar. That heavy sweetness makes Menta feel less refreshing than it should be, though the peppermint element is at least quite fun. - drinkhacker.com

"Combines rooty herbal bitterness with invigorating and cleansing mint freshness." 5 stars - diffordsguide.com