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. We used Plantation Original Dark Rum because it has a unique spiced flavor with notes of banana, plum, and vanilla. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Non-Alcoholic Dark & Spicy Tropical Spirit in place of the rum.

Fernet-Branca Menta: This is an amaro made in Italy with peppermint, gentian root, aloe, herbs, spices, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Harmony Alpine Digestif and Monin Premium Peppermint Syrup in place of the amaro.

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

Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. We 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. We 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. We 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. We used the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer.

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

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus, fruits, and vegetables. We 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. We used the OXO Good Grips 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.

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

Tasting Notes

The Brancolada begins with simple with aromas of mint but then explodes into a combination of flavors with coconut and pineapple dominating with the Fernet subtly present, and then it finishes with the bitter menthol taste left in your mouth.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Even with its short and seemingly familiar ingredient list, the Brancolada is darker in taste than one expects of typical tiki cocktails. While not traditionally refreshing, it did strike a note of fascination with both of us. Unlike most tiki cocktails, we felt it may be more at home on a cool rooftop bar than on a hot beach because it’s much heavier.

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Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.

Take Our Quiz →

Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“The Brancolada is a fascinating drink. It combines the bitter menthol-laced Italian amaro Fernet-Branca Menta with rum, pineapple, orange, and coconut to make a slightly heavy, creamy, and bitter-tinged sipper. It is far from some others in the classic tiki lexicon, in my opinion, because it’s not heavy on the juices at all, but it is complex and delicious as long as you’re ready for something a little more out of the norm. I really liked it for its inclusion of the bitter spirit, but others may be turned off by that; I will say that it does a great job of making the amaro more palatable than it is on its own though, and it deserves plenty of praise for that.”

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 it 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.

Sale
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
Hardcover Book; Editors of PUNCH (Author); English (Publication Language); 352 Pages – 09/05/2017 (Publication Date) – Ten Speed Press (Publisher)
$13.05 Amazon Prime

AuthorThe Essential Cocktail Book

Yields1 ServingPrep Time5 mins

Ingredients
 1 oz Dark Rum
 1 oz Fernet-Branca Menta
 1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice
 ¼ oz Orange Juice
 1 oz Coconut CreamMade with 3:1 Cream of Coconut & Coconut Milk
 1 Mint Sprig
 1 Orange Wedge

Method
1

Add rum, Fernet-Branca Menta, pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, and cubed ice to a blender.

2

Blend until desired texture.

3

Pour into a hurricane or highball glass.

4

Garnish with mint sprig and orange wedge.

Ingredients

Ingredients
 1 oz Dark Rum
 1 oz Fernet-Branca Menta
 1 ½ oz Pineapple Juice
 ¼ oz Orange Juice
 1 oz Coconut CreamMade with 3:1 Cream of Coconut & Coconut Milk
 1 Mint Sprig
 1 Orange Wedge

Directions

Method
1

Add rum, Fernet-Branca Menta, pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, and cubed ice to a blender.

2

Blend until desired texture.

3

Pour into a hurricane or highball glass.

4

Garnish with mint sprig and orange wedge.

Brancolada

Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum and Harmony Alpine Digestif and Monin Premium Peppermint Syrup in place of the amaro to try a booze-free version of this drink.

Shop Glassware & Tools

Find collections of cocktail glassware and bartending tools we recommend for your home bar in our Amazon shop.

OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Pairing Knife,Black/Silver,3-1/2-Inch
OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Pairing Knife,Black/Silver,3-1/2-Inch
Sturdy, stainless steel blade; Soft, comfortable, non-slip handle ensures a safe grip; Hand wash with warm, soapy water and promptly dry
$9.95 Amazon Prime
Sale
OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Chef's Knife
OXO Good Grips 8 Inch Chef’s Knife
Canister automatically springs open when Toilet Brush is lifted; Sleek Canister neatly and discreetly stores Brush within easy reach
$20.74
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer & Slicer,Silver/Black
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Pineapple Corer & Slicer,Silver/Black
Cores and slices whole pineapples quickly and easily; Measurement markings help prevent piercing the bottom of the shell
$22.95 Amazon Prime
Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine, Big Mouth Large 3” Feed Chute for Whole Fruits and Vegetables, Easy to Clean, Centrifugal Extractor, BPA Free, 800W Motor, Black
Hamilton Beach Juicer Machine, Big Mouth Large 3” Feed Chute for Whole Fruits and Vegetables, Easy to Clean, Centrifugal Extractor, BPA Free, 800W Motor, Black
Source: Circana, Retail Tracking Service, US Unit Sales, 12 Months Ending July 2023; Cup not included
$69.85 Amazon Prime
Sale
Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPower 40-Ounce 7-Speed Electronic Bar Blender, Chrome
Cuisinart SPB-7CH SmartPower 40-Ounce 7-Speed Electronic Bar Blender, Chrome
Perfect for blending, pureeing, mixing, liquefying and stirring; 7-speed touch pad control with easy-to-read indicator lights
$79.85 Amazon Prime

More Tiki Cocktails

If you like this tiki cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Cobra's Fang Cocktail Recipe

Cobra’s Fang: A rum cocktail made with orange juice, lime juice, passion fruit syrup, Swedish punsch, grenadine, absinthe, pineapple fronds, and a snake-shaped orange peel

Tia Mia Cocktail Recipe

Tia Mia: A mezcal and rum cocktail made with lime juice, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup, a lime wheel, a mint sprig, and an orchid blossom

Zombie Cocktail Recipe

Zombie: A rum cocktail made with velvet falernum liqueur, Donn’s mix, lime juice, absinthe, grenadine, Angostura aromatic bitters, and mint

Donga Punch Cocktail Recipe

Donga Punch: A rhum agricole cocktail made with Don’s mix, lime juice, a grapefruit twist, a cinnamon stick, and an orchid blossom

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