Recursos Argentinos

When I was a child in Buenos Aires, my aunts and grandma would sip Fernet Branca in the afternoons to “asentar el estomago” (settle the stomach). Made with some 27 botanicals, including myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, lots of saffron and infused in a base of grape-distilled spirits (with 45% alcohol by volume), the beverage, straight, bottle, has a complex, slightly sweet, medicinal flavor, almost like artichoke wine—but stronger. Surprisingly, it combines perfectly with Coke. In Italy and San Francisco, they blend it with coffee.

Nowadays the liquor has become popular with Argentine youth, mixed with ice and Coke. For good memory’s sake, it’s the first cocktail I have when visiting my favorite café in Buenos Aires.

The trouble with life here in the states is, where do you find Fernet? Luckily, because of all the ski instructors from Bariloche, the “Vail of Argentina” it’s not difficult to find Fernet in Vail area liquor stores and some bars.

Beaver Liquors (at 110 E Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO 81620) carries Fernet year-round, while other liquor stores carry it seasonally (since don’t sell much of it when the Argentinians leave).  Joe, pictured above, who manages Beaver Liquors pronounces “Fernet Branca” like a native, and says the shop has plenty of Spanish speaking customers and sales associates — so never fear, Spanish is spoken here.

Beaver Liquors also sells pisco, a white brandy distilled in Peru and Chile from muscat grapes. The most famous cocktail made with pisco is the pisco sour. The traditional cocktail includes pisco as the base liquor with freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, ice, an egg white, and a dash of Angostura bitters. The true traditional cocktail ads a garnish coca leaves.

For the Malbec or Torrontes lover, Beaver Liquors offers a rack full of Argentinian wines.

I admire the way a Mexican restaurant works. I’ve eaten at many, and the service is always quick, the food plentiful and delicious, and the bill still reasonable. It’s almost a guarantee. That’s why never having eaten there, I invited some colleagues to lunch at Fiesta, Café, and Cantina, in Edwards, Colorado. As expected, the experience was welcoming, filling, and lip-smacking good.

My partner, Bob, loves chiles rellenos, a stuffed poblano pepper with cheese, sometimes potatoes, and in this instance with rice and chicken. It takes patience, some work, and love to cook chiles rellenos, so a busy family, even a Mexican family rarely enjoys this most typical and delightful dish at home.  I had a taste and recommended it at Fiesta.

Although not vegan, I ordered the sizzling veggies for lighter lunch fare.  The veggies al dente and brilliant in color satisfied my appetite.

Our lunch guest had blue corn chicken enchiladas, which made me jealous.  They looked fantastic.

Desert came complimentary and much appreciated. We were all stuffed, but polished off the tres leches cake, made with heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, and the fried ice cream, always fun!

Stop by Fiesta for lunch or dinner, you’ll leave full, satisfied and a rarity in our pricy valley, with some change.  The restaurant, located at Edwards Plaza, just off I-70, also features a lively bar with a full assortment of fine tequilas.