The rainbow of bottles of Antica sambuca lined up on the store shelf pleases the eye. The blenders of Antiche Distillerie Riunite seemed to set out to capture all the colors and aromas of the southern summer in bottles of liqueur, so that residents of far northern countries could enjoy the taste of Sicilian oranges, ripe cherries or raspberries. Antika is one of the most popular sambuca in the world: in terms of sales, the brand is second only to the famous Molinari brand.
The motto of the Antica sambuca advertising campaign was the words of the company’s president: “Born to be the first.” And this is by no means an exaggeration. In 2013, the drink was awarded a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, in 2014 – the gold medal of The Liqueur Masters, in 2015 – the gold medal of the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
Historical reference. Several generations of the Del Toso family were engaged in the manufacture of spirits: grappa and herbal liqueurs. Francesco Del Toso was destined by fate to follow in the footsteps of his father, the famous blender and distiller Sante Del Toso, who became famous back in the 20s of the XX century. Signor Francesco began making grappa in 1958, when he was not even twenty years old.
But the young man was ambitious: he seriously set out to create an empire that could compete with the most famous Italian liquor producers. In 1983, Francesco acquired his first large distillery, Distillerie Valbruna, and 10 years later, Rossi d’Asiago.
Rossi d’Asiago was founded in 1868 by Giovan Battista Rossi, a pharmacist from Vicenza. Signor Rossi became famous as the author of the recipe for the magnificent Alpina sambuca. This drink won two prestigious awards at international exhibitions: in 1903 in Rome – the Cross, in 1904 in Paris – a gold medal. The heirs of Signor Rossi continued his work and in 1929 created the juniper tincture Kranebet, which immediately became fashionable.
Having bought Rossi d’Asiago, Francesco Del Toso acquired not only the plant in Vincenza (near Venice), but also the recipes for one of the best sambuco in Italy and Cranebeta, kept in strict secret. Signor Francesco named the new company, consisting of two branches: Distillerie Valbruna and Rossi d’Asiago Antiche Distillerie Riunite.
Of course, the Alpina sambuca was good, but how many wonderful sambuca are there in Italy? Del Toso needed an idea that would take the company internationally. And such an idea appeared: Antiche Distillerie Riunite became the first company to produce colored sambuca with the addition of various fruit extracts and spices.
Signor Francesco personally developed recipes for fruit and anise liqueurs based on Alpina. He called the new sambuco series “Antica”: in honor of the city of Vicenza, founded in ancient times.
Another useful invention was the Pro-Pour system – a special nozzle for the neck of the bottle, which greatly facilitates the process of mixing cocktails. Thanks to this nozzle, you can easily measure the exact amount of drink and fill a glass or glass of any shape without spilling a drop.
Today, together with signor Francesco, his children work in the company: Nicolas and Patricia. Sambuca Antica is exported to 40 countries. Antiche Distillerie Riunite is the leader of the English sambuca market: one and a half million bottles are supplied annually to the UK alone. The company exports another two million to the US and Latin America.
When Francesco Del Toso is asked how he managed to achieve such impressive results from scratch, he usually answers: “It is very difficult to work in Italy. After all, even those who know nothing about our country expect excellent quality from our products. But if you seriously want to achieve the best, you will succeed just fine. ”
Types of sambuca Antica
There are 9 varieties of Antica sambuca with a strength of 38 degrees:
- Classic – colorless transparent with anise flavor and aroma;
- Banana Flavor – yellow with banana extract
- Raspberry Flavor – dark pink with raspberry flavor
- Apple Flavor – bright green with an apple flavor;
- Orange & Mango Flavor – orange with extracts of mango and Sicilian oranges;
- Cherry Flavor – dark red with a hint of ripe cherries and roasted almonds;
- Coffee Flavor – dark brown with anise-coffee flavor;
- Liquorice Flavor – purple-black with a touch of licorice;
- Absinthe Flavor – green sambuca with wormwood extract.
