CLASSIC COCKTAIL · 2000–present
Industry Sour
Equal parts Fernet-Branca and green Chartreuse with lime and syrup: the bartender’s handshake as a drink.
2011Modern classicResearched
Ted Kilgore made the Industry Sour at Taste in St. Louis in 2011, building it from equal parts Fernet-Branca, green Chartreuse, lime and simple syrup. Two of the strongest, most herbal things on the back bar make an unlikely sour, and the lime and sugar are what hold them together. The name is the point: it is a drink made by bartenders for the end of a shift, and it spread through the trade before it spread through menus.
- It became a standard “bartender’s drink” order and a template for Fernet-based sours.
- Industry Sour with a mint garnish
- Toronto (Fernet with rye)
- Bitter Mai Tai
“Equal parts means it can be batched by the litre, which is how many bars actually serve it.”
THE RECIPEBitter, herbal and sharp
Ingredients
- Fernet-Branca22.5 ml
- Green Chartreuse22.5 ml
- Lime juice22.5 ml
- Simple syrup22.5 ml
- Lime wheelto garnish
Method
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lime wheel.
Coupe · no ice · lime wheel