BLANCHE: No—I—rarely touch it.
STANLEY: Some people rarely touch it, but it touches them often.
—Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
By 7 o’clock this morning, it was already unusually warm in San Francisco. A hot day here is something of an occasion, whether you like it or you don’t. Streets and sidewalk cafés fill with semi-clad people. For the thirsty who would prefer an unsweetened iced coffee to a soda in such weather, there is the Fanciulli. It’s a refreshingly bitter frappé of bourbon, sweet vermouth and Fernet-Branca, and a potent aid in reviving the wilted. This drink is named for an Italian-American band leader and composer of marches and operas. You can read more about him and the Fanciulli in the WSJ and from Kevin Patterson. The version of the drink here is from the CocktailDB.

Fanciulli
In a glass packed with crushed ice, build:
- 1 oz bourbon (Wild Turkey 101)
- 1/2 oz sweet vermouth (Punt e Mes)
- 1/4 oz Fernet-Branca
SOURCE: COCKTAILDB