Sambuca Liquer Is For Health, Happiness And Prosperity

Sambuca is an Italian anise-flavoured, usually colourless, liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as white sambuca to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue in colour (black sambuca) or bright red (red sambuca).

Like other anise-flavoured liqueurs, the ouzo effect is sometimes observed when combined with water.

Sambuca is flavoured with essential oils obtained from star anise, or less commonly, green anise.

Other spices such as elderflower, liquorice and others may be included, but are not required as per the legal definition.

It is bottled at a minimum of 38% alcohol by volume. The oils are added to pure alcohol, a concentrated solution of sugar, and other flavouring.

The term comes from the Latin word sambucus, meaning elderberry.

The Greek word Sambuca was first used as the name of another elderberry liquor that was created in Civitavecchia about 130 years ago.

The first commercial version of such a drink started at the end of 1800 in Civitavecchia, where Luigi Manzi sold Sambuca Manzi.

In 1945, soon after the end of Second World War, commendatore Angelo Molinari started producing Sambuca Extra Molinari, which helped popularise Sambuca throughout Italy.

Both having originated as anise-based spirits containing elderberry, Sambuca shares some commonality with the Basque drink Patxaran.

Sambuca may be served neat. It may also be served on the rocks or with water, resulting in the ouzo effect from the anethole in the anise.

Sambuca is considered to go particularly well with coffee. Like other anise liqueurs, it may be drunk after coffee as a ammazzacaffè or added directly to coffee in place of sugar to produce a caffè corretto.

A serving of sambuca can be a shot with seven coffee beans, representing the seven hills of Rome.

Likewise, a shot with one coffee bean, called con la mosca, which means with the fly, is as common. The traditional serving is with three coffee beans, each representing health, happiness and prosperity.

The shot may be ignited to toast the coffee beans with the flame extinguished immediately before drinking.


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Anissete The Anise-flavored Liqueur, Favourite Of The Mediterranean

Anisette, or Anis, is an anise-flavored liqueur that is consumed in most Mediterranean countries, mainly in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, and France.

It is colorless, and because it contains sugar, is sweeter than dry anise flavoured spirits e.g. absinthe.

The most traditional style of anisette is that produced by means of distilling aniseed, and is differentiated from those produced by simple maceration by the inclusion of the word distilled on the label.

While Pastis is a similar tasting liqueur that is prepared in similar fashion and sometimes confused with anisette, it employs a combination of both aniseed and licorice root extracts.

Sambuca is essentially an anisette of Italian origin that requires a high minimum (350g/l) sugar content.

The liqueur is not commonly taken straight on account of its strong flavour.

When included in mixed drinks however, it produces a sweet agreeable flavour.

It is often mixed simply with water, where it produces a milky white consistency.

That mixture is called in Spanish speaking countries called palomita.

All the liqueur has to be dropped into very cold water at the same moment.

Pouring it from a bottle even quickly does not produce the same result.

A very white liquid denotes that a good anisette has been used. A palomita with just a drop of anisette can be drunk as a refreshing drink.

In the Mediterranean Basin, anise-based or liquorice based spirits include:

Spain: Anis del Mono or the monkey's anisette, has been produced since 1870. The label, with a monkey holding a scroll and a bottle, was designed by Ramon Casas i Carbo.

It is the anisette of choice in Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano. Characters in Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises and his short story - Hills Like White Elephants - drink and discuss Anis del Toro or Bull's Anisette.

Another type, Aguardiente de Ojen, is produced by Dominique Mertens Impex.

It gained fame abroad and is popular in New Orleans, Louisiana, especially during the Mardi Gras festivities.

France: Pastis, made by Paul Ricard since 1932, and Anisette, made by Marie Brizard since 1755

Italy: Sambuca

Greece: Ouzo

Bulgaria and Macedonia: Mastika

Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Albania: Rakı

Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt: Arak

Algeria: Anisette Cristal

Anise-flavoured alcohols from other parts of the world include Aguardiente from Colombia and Mexico.

Anisette is used in modern occultism and spiritual practices to make spirit water, which is used as an offering for various deities and spirits.


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