Fanciulli

The Fanciulli cocktail is a variation on the Perfect Manhattan—bourbon or rye, and a split of sweet and dry vermouth—that replaces the dry vermouth with Fernet-Branca liqueur. The first published recipe appears in the book Old Waldorf Bar Days by Albert Stevens Crockett in 1931. In the book, Stevens notes that this signature, served at the prestigious New York City hotel bar, could have been named for the background singers who were in town performing the Giacomo Puccini opera “La Fanciulla del West” (“The Girl of the Golden West”). “Fanciulli” means “boys” in Italian, so it could have been a play on words, although given that the drink was first served prior to the premier of the opera in 1910, there is likely another, albeit still musically themed, origin story.

Former Waldorf bar manager Frank Caiafa, author of 2016’s The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book, says its bartenders were known to name drinks after regulars. Francesco Fanciulli, an Italian maestro who lived in New York City after taking over the US Marine Band from John Philip Sousa in the 1890s, could very well have been one. The use of the bracingly bitter Italian ingredient Fernet would certainly make sense: Fanciulli famously had an ongoing fight with the US government to unionize and raise the pay of military band musicians. There was also an incident during an 1897 Memorial Day parade in Washington, D.C. when he took issue with being told what to play by Lt. T. L. Draper, told him off, and was subsequently court martialed (though Navy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt overturned the conviction). Fanciulli was known to harbor bitterness over this incident, hence the use of Italian fernet to represent him.

Either way, the Fanciulli survives as a go-to manhattan variation for those who lean toward the bitter flavor spectrum.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Signature Cocktails' by Amanda Schuster. Buy the full book on Amazon. Get more rye and bourbon cocktails →