Bitter Flow

If you thought San Francisco was obsessed with Fernet-Branca, the mania has reached a new level: For the first time in this country, the beloved digestif is now available on tap.

These kegs of the bitter liqueur--made from a secret recipe of over 40 herbs and spices--are not chilled like beer.

Instead, they're pumped with nitrogen right into your glass. Bartenders say it tastes the same as, if not better than, the stuff in the bottle, due to the slight aeration of the Fernet-Branca.

The first place to launch the trend was Bullitt, a bar-restaurant in the former Bar Johnny space that also carries kegs of Maker's Mark. Now Tonic, two blocks north of Bullitt (and from the same owners), also keeps Fernet on tap, and both venues will soon be equipped with custom tap handles emblazoned with the brand's eagle-and-globe logo.

Around 35 percent of America's Fernet-Branca supply is consumed in San Francisco, so it's logical that if a bulk breakthrough were to happen anywhere, it would be here.

Without all that superfluous unscrewing of the caps of that black elixir, we say, "Let it flow, let it flow, let it flow."

Bullitt, 2209 Polk St., 415-268-0140; Tonic, 2360 Polk St., 415-771-5535 or tonic-bar.com