san francisco nog

1 1/2 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Heavy Cream
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 Egg Yolk
1 Demerara Sugar Cube

Muddle sugar cube and add the rest of the ingredients plus ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Last night, we headed out to Allston for dinner at Grasshopper, and afterwards, we rounded the corner to get drinks at Deep Ellum. Bartender Max Toste somehow predicted that that the San Francisco Nog would catch my eye. Apparently, the drink just appeared on the menu a week or two ago after Max retired an apple cider-Bourbon egg nog/flip that we missed in between visits. After my rather pleasing experience with the cream-laden Fernet Alexander, the nog was definitely worth a try. The drink's name is a homage to the United States' Fernet capital which at one point a few years ago consumed over half of the Fernet Branca in this country and more bottles per capita than any other city in the world.

As I picked up and sniffed my filled rocks glass, I was surprised how much the nutmeg overwhelmed the Fernet on the nose. However, this was definitely not the case on the sip. The drink was rich from the egg yolk and cream and punctuated by the Fernet's menthol notes. Flavorwise, the San Francisco Nog reminded me a lot of Vietnamese iced coffee with its combination of bitter, cream, and sweet flavors. And recipewise, it reminded me of the hot Fernet Tom & Jerry Andrea enjoyed at Drink last January.