Branca Takes the Fernandito to 150 Summer Events Across Italy

Fratelli Branca Distillerie is taking its Fernet&Cola Tour across Italy this summer, using more than 150 events in 86 municipalities to introduce Italian consumers to the Fernandito, the Argentine mixed drink made with Fernet-Branca and cola.

The company said the tour began in May and will continue through September, with stops in major cities including Milan, Turin, Rome and Naples, as well as summer destinations such as the Riviera Romagnola. The campaign is centered on bars and nightlife venues that Branca describes as key gathering places, where the brand is trying to turn a drink long associated with Argentina into a broader social ritual in Italy.

At the center of the initiative is the Fernandito, a simple serve that combines 4 centiliters of Fernet-Branca with ice and a top of chilled cola in a highball glass. Branca is presenting the drink as both accessible and rooted in cocktail culture. The company points to its recognition by the International Bartenders Association, which includes the Fernandito among its official classic cocktails.

The push reflects how drinks brands are increasingly relying on live events and shared experiences to build consumption occasions, especially in warm-weather months when aperitivo culture, beach tourism and outdoor nightlife drive traffic to bars across the country. In this case, Branca is borrowing from a drinking custom that took shape in Córdoba, Argentina, where Fernet mixed with cola became closely tied to group gatherings and informal social life.

That Argentine connection matters for Branca because Fernet-Branca has long held an unusual place in the market. Although the bitter spirit was created in Milan in the 19th century, it became one of the most distinctive imported drinks in Argentina, where it developed a strong following and a drinking identity separate from its traditional role in Europe as a digestif. The Fernandito emerged from that shift, turning a medicinal-style amaro into a mainstream mixed drink consumed by younger drinkers and large groups.

Branca’s Italian campaign appears designed to test whether that same format can travel back to its country of origin in a new way. Rather than focusing on heritage alone, the company is emphasizing ease of service, sociability and repetition. At each stop, consumers ordering the drink can take part in an activation called the Ruota del FernetHero, a branded prize wheel that distributes promotional items intended to extend the experience beyond the bar.

The tour also shows how producers are trying to reposition established spirits for new moments of consumption. Fernet-Branca has deep roots in Italy and broad international distribution, but its flavor profile remains more polarizing than lighter aperitifs or spritz-style drinks that dominate many summer menus. Mixing it with cola offers a softer entry point for consumers who may know the label but not regularly order it.

Founded in Milan in 1845, Fratelli Branca Distillerie remains an independent family-owned spirits company. Its portfolio includes Fernet-Branca, Brancamenta, Carpano, Antica Formula, Punt e Mes, Caffè Borghetti, Stravecchio Branca and Grappa Candolini. The company says its products are distributed in about 160 countries and that it operates production sites in Milan and Buenos Aires, along with a commercial office in New York.

The Fernet&Cola Tour runs during one of the busiest periods for Italy’s hospitality sector, when domestic travel and seaside tourism increase demand for branded events tied to nightlife. By placing the Fernandito at the center of more than 150 appointments over five months, Branca is betting that an Argentine drinking habit can find a stable place in Italian bars not as a novelty, but as a repeatable order built around sharing.