●THE AMARO ATLAS

RECORD fernet-francisco · EVIDENCE GRADE B · UNCLAIMED · LAST VERIFIED 2026-07-09

Fernet Francisco

Richmond · United States · 37.936, -122.348

REGION: north americaTRADITION: World amaroEST. 2015WEBSITE ↗

ZONE 01 — VERIFIED FACTS

Founded
Fernet Francisco brand created 2015 by Max Rudsten and Ben Flajnik, San Francisco Bay Area, in collaboration with master distiller Farid Dormishian.B·3
Producer
Now produced and bottled under Falcon Spirits Distillery's own label, 3701 Collins Ave., Richmond, CA 94806. Falcon Spirits founded February 2011.A·2
ABV
40% (80 proof)C·6
Bottle size
750mlC·6
Botanicals
12 hand-picked herbs and botanicals, disclosed ingredients include rhubarb, chamomile, orange peel, bay leaves and mint; full recipe kept secret.B·4
Production method
Botanicals infused 3 weeks in local grape-based brandy; blended to strength with a chamomile-tea distillate run through an Arnold Holstein pot still.A·1
Residual sugar / style claim
Classed as bitters; 3 grams residual sugar per litre, marketed as the driest fernet on the market.A·1
Product evolution
Current Manzanilla release is the 'second iteration' of the original 2015 Fernet Francisco recipe.C·5

ZONE 02 — AI-COLLATED SUMMARY

AI-ASSISTED · FROM GRADED PUBLIC SOURCES

Fernet Francisco is a Bay Area fernet-style amaro created in 2015 by Max Rudsten and Ben Flajnik with master distiller Farid Dormishian, originally billed as San Francisco's first locally crafted fernet. The line has since been consolidated as Fernet Francisco Manzanilla, produced and bottled under Falcon Spirits Distillery's own label in Richmond, California. It uses twelve hand-picked botanicals (including rhubarb, chamomile, orange peel, bay leaves and mint) infused in local grape-based brandy and blended down with a chamomile-tea pot-still distillate, bottled at 40% ABV with a notably low 3g/L residual sugar. It presents as chamomile-forward with a balanced bitter finish, positioned as a smoother, less medicinal alternative to classic Italian fernet.

AI-collated from the graded sources below; operator review pending

ZONE 03 — PRODUCER-SUBMITTED NOTES

This record is unclaimed. This space opens to the producer when they claim it. Producer claiming is coming soon.

PRODUCTS ON RECORD

Fernet Francisco Manzanilla

40% ABV · 750ML

BOTTLE IMAGE
ADDED BY THE PRODUCER

SUBCATEGORY fernetRING coreTRADITION World amaroSELF-IDENTIFIED “Fernet / bitters”

The flagship (second-iteration) release from Fernet Francisco, now produced and bottled under Falcon Spirits Distillery's own label at their Richmond, California site. Twelve hand-picked botanicals are infused for three weeks in local grape-based brandy, then blended down to strength with a chamomile-tea distillate run through an Arnold Holstein pot still. The producer classes it as a bitters and states 3g/L residual sugar, marketed as the driest fernet on the market. Chamomile-forward with mint and a balanced bitter finish, positioned as a cleaner, smoother, less medicinal take on the classic Italian fernet style.

BOTANICAL MATRIX — 5 GRADED EDGES

  • Chamomile (manzanilla) · primary flavour driver, chamomile-tea distillateA·1
  • Rhubarb · botanical componentB·4
  • Orange peel · botanical componentB·4
  • Bay leaves · botanical componentB·4
  • Mint · botanical component, cooling finishB·4

DESCRIPTORS

  • Chamomile-forward ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • Bitter finish ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • Minty ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • Herbaceous/floral ▮▮▮▮▮B·3

SERVES

Neat

canonical
  • · Fernet Francisco Manzanilla, neat, room temperature or lightly chilled

Served neat as a digestivo, in the classic fernet tradition.

Fernet and Coke

canonical
  • · 1.5 oz Fernet Francisco Manzanilla
  • · Top with cola
  • · Serve over ice

Bay Area bar-culture classic pairing, mirroring the Fernet Branca and Coke tradition.

Toronto

canonical
  • · 2 oz rye whisky
  • · 0.25 oz Fernet Francisco Manzanilla
  • · 0.25 oz simple syrup
  • · 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • · Stir with ice, strain into a coupe

Classic whisky cocktail using fernet in place of/alongside standard bitters.

ZONE 04 — COMMUNITY TASTING NOTES

RESERVED — community notes open in V2 with moderation and bias handling. The contributions ledger is already recording.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Where is Fernet Francisco made?
Fernet Francisco is made in Richmond, United States, and was founded in 2015.
What style of amaro is Fernet Francisco?
On The Amaro Atlas, Fernet Francisco Manzanilla is recorded in the core ring, fernet subcategory, within the World amaro tradition. The producer describes it as "Fernet / bitters".

SOURCES — A–D GRADED (6)

  1. [1]AFernet Francisco Manzanilla — product/production notes · Falcon Spirits Distillery · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-09Re-verified via Firecrawl this session (WebFetch returned only a JS-shell stub). Confirmed verbatim: 12 hand-picked ingredients, 3-week infusion in grape-based brandy, chamomile-tea distillate via Arnold Holstein pot still, classed as bitters, 3g/L residual sugar, marketed as driest fernet on the market.
  2. [2]AFalcon Spirits Distillery — homepage · Falcon Spirits Distillery · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-09Re-verified via Firecrawl this session. Confirms Falcon Spirits broke ground Feb 2011 in Richmond, CA; 300-1000 bottles per batch, all handmade; Best of the Bay 2014 Best Spirit Distiller award; address 3701 Collins Ave, Richmond CA 94806.
  3. [3]BSan Francisco Invents Its Very Own Local Fernet · PUNCH · press · accessed 2026-07-09Founding story: Max Rudsten and Ben Flajnik, collaboration with master distiller Farid Dormishian; vapour-infusion process blended with grain spirit and grape brandy, aged one month; launched April 2015.
  4. [4]BFernet Francisco: The Spirit of San Francisco · DRiNK Me Magazine · press · accessed 2026-07-09Confirms 12-botanical blend with disclosed ingredients rhubarb, chamomile, orange peel, bay leaves, mint; founders' backstory; approx. $40 retail price.
  5. [5]CFernet Francisco review · BarFaith · other · accessed 2026-07-09Identifies Manzanilla as the 'second iteration' of Fernet Francisco; confirms 40% ABV and 12 mostly-locally-sourced botanicals; tasting notes on bitterness/mintiness relative to Fernet Branca.
  6. [6]CFernet Francisco 750ml — retailer product page · CW Spirits · other · accessed 2026-07-09Confirms 40% ABV (80 proof), 750ml bottle; tasting notes of herbal, minty, eucalyptus, spice with balanced sweetness; positions as modern American take on Italian fernet.

A producer-official / regulatory · B reputable published · C secondary · D community/unverified