Franco Wine / K&R Beverage LLC

What Is a Fernet Coin, and How Can You Get One?

"This bitter, mentholated, herbal amaro—affectionately called a “bartender’s handshake”—runs a small, highly collectible challenge-coin program that has become a global marker of bartending and spirits know-how. What began with a friends-only medallion in 2012, produced by two brothers for a Las Vegas mixology event, grew into an official series of commissioned coins (starting in key markets like San Francisco in 2013) distributed at competitions, trade shows, pop-ups and industry events. The coins are deliberately scarce—individual runs rarely exceed a couple hundred and the original 50-piece batch is the rarest—so earning one signals deep familiarity with the liquid and its culture; holders often “pull” coins worldwide as a way to connect. The brand stages playful, high-effort giveaways (from first-come baskets at Tales of the Cocktail to escape-room-style pop-ups where players can win chips to gamble for a coin) and intentionally resists making the coin a transactional perk (the myth that it entitles you to a free shot is unofficial). Distinct pieces—like a numbered 175th-anniversary coin and a Los Angeles release stamped “In Branca We Trust”—are prized by the producer, who carries and archives a few in his office, while the program’s popularity has inspired imitators and a vibrant collector culture of trading, comparing and using coins as conversation starters among bartenders and fans." - G. Clay Whittaker