I have written about Fernet Branca in the past, an increasingly popular and pretty legendary bitter liqueur. BrancaMenta is a companion liqueur, Fernet Branca combined with mint syrup, which makes the liqueur mintier and sweeter (obviously), but actually changes the taste of the whole thing a bit.

While Fernet Branca is more bitter and is a stronger alcohol experience, BrancaMenta is a sweeter and more palatable drink for many. In side-by-side tests at my home bar, folks who didn’t like Fernet Branca usually liked BrancaMenta when they tried it. One said it “tastes like a Thin Mint,” and that’s not too far off the mark as BrancaMenta is more chocolaty and sweet than it’s big brother.

I was challenged to come up with some original cocktail ideas with BrancaMenta, and it’s a surprisingly easy liqueur to mix. Since it’s not overly sweet, you can use it in place of a liqueur or a base liquor. I made two types of recipes: BrancaMenta plus and cocktails with BrancaMenta. Try these out:

Creamy Mint Stout (by Greg Mays)

• add 1 1/2 oz of BrancaMenta to a chilled 14-oz glass
• top with cream stout (I used St. Peter’s)

Branca Moji-Tea (by Greg Mays)

• add 1 oz BrancaMenta to an ice-filled collins glass
• top with cold lime or mint tea (preferably both – I used Argo Mojitea)
• (stainless steel straw courtesy of KegWorks)

I’m going to be really straight with you here: I didn’t expect these next two drinks to be as great as they are. They looked good when I was photographing them, sure, but when I tasted these cocktails, they were excellent, simple, balanced, and refreshing. I’ll be making these regularly at the home bar for sure:

White Italian (by Greg Mays)

• in a double old fashioned  glass filled with ice, add:
• 1 1/2 oz BrancaMenta
• 1 1/2 oz half-and-half
• 2 oz strong, cold coffee (I used unsweetened Illy issumo Coffee)
• stir until combined and garnish with a mint sprig

CocoMenta Cocktail (by Greg Mays)

• in a shaker, combine:
• 2 oz BrancaMenta
• 2 oz coconut water
• 3 dashes of orange bitters
• fill with ice and shake well (the coconut water will make the drink a little bit foamy)
• strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with mint leaves