Count Niccolo Branca di Romanico holds court and a bottle of Fernet-Branca. (Photo: Michael Anstendig)

It took the urging of an actual aristocrat to get us to sip some Fernet-Branca, one of the most challenging liqueurs on any back bar. Count Branca, a debonair fifth-generation distiller, was in town to persuade elite mixologists why they should be pouring his amaro, whose unchanged, ultrasecret recipe dates back to 1845.

Brian Van Flandern, right, led off questions posed by the attending drink slingers. (Photo: Michael Anstendig)

The inky Italian elixir has been described as an aperitif as well as a digestif. Regardless, it’s heavily herbal, with assertive notes of myrrh, peppermint oil, chamomile, cardamom and saffron. Each of the 30 components is processed separately using different methods like maceration and infusion. They are then brought together in exacting proportions and aged in oak barrels for at least a year. It tastes like it should be good for you and it’s definitely not for beginners or poseurs. It’s wildly popular in Argentina, where it fuels cocktails like the 90210, which is 90 percent Fernet-Branca, two ice cubes and 10 percent Coca-Cola.

The World Bar, which hosted the event, stirred up its own lovely tipple, the Brandy Branca, with Fernet-Branca, brandy, tawny port, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. The liqueur’s pungency was a perfect counterweight to the port. The lesson: try a little bitterness.—Michael Anstendig