Brancolada

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Cocktail History

The Brancolada is a modern tiki cocktail that was created by Jeremy Oertel in New York City, New York. It combines aspects of the classic Piña Colada, including rum, pineapple, citrus, and coconut, with the menthol-flavored Italian amaro Fernet-Branca Menta. It’s said that he came up with this concoction after all of the times he and his bar buddies would drizzle the chilled spirit over ice cream sandwiches before their shifts.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Dark Rum: This is a type of rum made with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged for a long period of time. I used Plantation Original Dark Rum.

Fernet-Branca Menta: This is an amaro made in Italy with peppermint, gentian root, aloe, herbs, spices, sugar, and alcohol.

Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid juice of a pineapple. I used fresh pineapple juice.

Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. I used freshly squeezed orange juice.

Coconut Cream: This is a sweetener made with a three to one ratio of cream of coconut and coconut milk.

Mint Sprig: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint.

Orange Wedge: This is a slice of orange that has been cut into a wedge shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Pineapple Corer: This is used to remove the core of the pineapple before it’s juiced. I used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer for the orange and the Hamilton Beach Large Juicer for the pineapple.

Chef’s Knife: This is used to cut larger fruits and vegetables into slices for the garnish. I used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.

Blender: This is used to blend up ingredients. I used the Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPowder Electronic Bar Blender.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Bright yellow color

• Aroma: Mint and fruit

• Taste: Coconut and pineapple flavor combined with subtle herbal Fernet and tangy citrus

• Finish: Bitter menthol and more coconut

Kendall’s Take: “This is such a distinctive cocktail that you really just have to try it for yourself to understand what it’s like. Pineapple, coconut, and mint backed by the slight bitterness of the Fernet Branca-Menta are incredibly unique when mixed together. I can’t say that I was head over heels in love with the combination, but I appreciated the Brancolada for what it was. Its flavor kind of reminded me of a minty coconut candy. If that intrigues you, give this a try.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.