Sambuca

Sambuca is an Italian digestif flavored with anise. Alcohol is traditionally colored in a transparent (white) color, but there are variations with a blue (black) and red tint of the liquid. In addition to anise, extract from elderberry or berries, aromatic herbs and sugar are added to sambuca. The alcohol content in the drink reaches from 38 to 42%.

What you need to know about Italian liqueur, how to drink sambuca and what is the place of a drink in modern alcohol culture?

What is a digestive

Translated from French, the term means “a means of promoting digestion.” A digestif is a generic name for a group of drinks served at the end of a meal. These drinks are believed to improve digestion, enhance nutrient absorption and prevent heaviness. In medieval France, a drink made from wine, sugar and spices was used as a digestif.

What is a digestif different from an aperitif? Aperitif is served before meals to increase salivation and induce appetite. Low-alcohol drinks or light wines are served as an aperitif, the digestif is usually stronger and more saturated.

There is an unspoken rule that recommends serving light drinks at the beginning of the evening, and dark drinks at the end of it in the form of a digestif. Why? Taste buds simply won’t be able to perceive the subtle flavors of mild alcohol. But cognac, liquor or sambuca will be a great end to the evening.

Any sambuka, regardless of the color of the liquid, is best served at the end of the meal. Its pronounced aroma will “shake up” the taste buds after eating. Digestif must be combined with alcohol, which was served earlier. You can combine cocktails with moderate sweetness with sambuka, without a noticeable aftertaste of alcohol, but this is rather a matter of taste.

Coffee and tea, which are also often served at the end of a meal, are not digestifs.

Historical information

Alcoholic drink came to Rome during the Middle Ages. Sambuca was brought by the Saracens, a nomadic eastern people who led a robbery lifestyle along the borders of Syria. A drink based on star anise fell in love with the Romans. Liquor was used not only as alcohol, but also as a medicine. The liquid was prescribed inside for infectious diseases and wiped wounds with it. The drink, brought by the Saracens, is considered the prototype of modern sambuca. The recipe for the drink gradually changed until it acquired the perfect combination of taste, aroma and structure.

Modern anise liqueur is considered an Italian invention. The first bottle of sambuca was released in 1851 by the Sambuca MANZI di Civitavecchia brand. The creator of the brand is Luigi Manzi. It was his drink that was able to gain worldwide popularity and the love of every connoisseur of alcohol. Sambuca MANZI di Civitavecchia is still producing its famous liqueur.

In 1945, the history of the anise drink was continued. Angelo Molinari, who in a few years will be called the “king of sambuca”, combined various herbal infusions, wines and spirits. Molinari was in search of the perfect liquor that would combine strength, a specific spicy taste and a noble aftertaste. His search led to the development of a recipe based on anise and Sambuca Extra liqueur. Angelo Molinari founded a company that started producing a new drink. The company was located in the small coastal town of Civitavecchia. The city was located 50 miles north of Rome – the entire history of sambuca was formed around this place. Angelo wanted to get famous and get Sambuca Extra poured in every bar. Help Molinari found in the family. His brothers – Mafaldo, Antonio and Marcello, and later nephews, brought the recipe to the ideal and launched industrial production. The family business brought tremendous success and fame, and Sambuca Extra still occupies 70% of the Italian anise liqueur market to this day.

In Italy, sambuca is considered a national drink. It is traditionally served in trattorias for both men and women. At first, alcohol was produced exclusively for domestic needs. As soon as large industrial companies were formed in Italy, sambuca began to be exported. Of particular popularity, along with tequila and absinthe, liquor was obtained during the development of club culture.

Etymological reference

The name “sambuca” is very similar to the generic name of the black elder – Sambucus nigra. In one of the recipes, it is this plant that is used to make liquor. An extract from berries or an elder flower was added to the alcohol liquid. It performed 2 functions at the same time – it colored the drink in a pleasant dark shade and added special flavor / aroma notes.

But Angelo Molinari’s company denies the connection between sambuka and elderberry. Representatives say that in the classical recipe there are no berries or plant flowers, and its use is typical only for local bars and pubs. Because of this contradiction, many variants of the origin of the term appeared. Here are a few of them:

• the main element of the drink is anise. The word is of Arabic origin and is translated as “zammut”. The term bears little resemblance to “sambuca”, but it is this version that is most popular;
• The cocktail is named after one of the cities in the province of Tuscany. Perhaps it was in this city that modern sambuca originated, and from there spread throughout Italy;
• Sambuca got its name due to special Arab ships, on which alcohol was transported from the East to Europe;
• an Italian peasant mistakenly threw berries and flowers into the anisette. Legend has it that he confused the containers, but it was this chance that gave the world a new alcoholic drink. The peasant was very upset by his own carelessness, so he left the spoiled tincture in the compartment. At the wedding of his daughter, when all the alcohol ended, he remembered about the forgotten jar with tincture and decided to check it out. Both the peasant and all the guests liked the drink so much that they began to prepare it for each holiday.

Alcohol Varieties

The main varieties of sambuka: white, black (blue), red. White is considered the traditional and most popular. Despite the name, the liquid is painted in a transparent color. What is the combination of white anise liqueur:

• espresso;
• fruit;
• sweet desserts;
• a fish;
• meat;
• cheese.

Red sambuca is considered a dessert drink. The liquid is colored in a bright red hue due to the extract from the berries. Berries also affect the taste – the cocktail has a sweet fruity aftertaste. The market abounds with several varieties of red sambuca that are based on the leading fruit ingredient: cranberry, pomegranate, cherry or raspberry. Berry sweetness slightly muffles the tart anise aroma and taste, and also affects the consistency of the drink. Red sambuca differs from others in its thick and viscous structure. On sale, red anise liqueur is much less common than white or dark. Demand for classic spirits is much higher – hence the specifics of the volumes of the alcohol market.

The taste of black sambuca is considered the most refined. Alternative names for the drink are dark or blue anise liqueur. You can achieve a deep bluish tint with the help of spices and licorice extract. The combination of fresh burning anise and tart licorice creates a special aromatic and flavor palette. Black sambuca is considered an elite drink, the versatility of which is not available to everyone.

Herbal ingredients, which are contained in the blue sambuca, make the drink an excellent sedative, slag and cough remedy. It is believed that the drink also improves digestive functions and does not allow the eaten dinner to turn into a fat layer on the hips. This type of liquor is best used as a digestif.

There is also a chocolate and coffee version of sambuca. Chocolate liqueur has a captivating aroma and a specific structure. Chocolate makes the drink more viscous and thick. The combination of anise and diluted chocolate captivates the receptors with alternating refreshing bitterness and sweetness. Coffee alcohol has a more complex composition. To prepare a drink, several varieties of coffee are used simultaneously, which are grown in opposite corners of the planet. Especially popular is the “Molinari caffe”, which contains Caribbean arabica and fragrant robusta grown on Polynesian and African plantations.

How to drink sambuca correctly

There are hundreds of ways to use sambuca. Each of them reveals new facets, focuses on certain taste and aromatic palettes of the drink.

The traditional way of using sambuka is called “con mosca”. Literally, the term translates as “with flies.” The drink is served with three coffee beans. They symbolize happiness, health and wealth. Sambuca needs to be drunk, and coffee beans chew after the glass is empty. This will help create a unique anise-coffee aftertaste that will summarize the meal.

Chilled anise liqueur in its pure form is served as a digestif. Cold fluid really irritates the esophagus and stimulates metabolic processes.

The most popular is the so-called “club” feed. The drink is set on fire in a pile and allowed to burn in front of the visitor. The intense blue flame makes serving special and memorable. After some time, the fire is extinguished and the visitor is offered to quickly drink sambuca before it cools down. Hot anise liquor is fundamentally different from warm, cold or neutral (room temperature). The hot liquid does not burn the mucosa, on the contrary, it gently envelops it and gives completely new taste sensations.

Another popular way of drinking a drink looks like this: two glasses are used, sambuca is poured into one of them. The filled glass is set on fire, after which the burning liquid is poured into an empty glass. In this serving, variability is possible – the liquid is not poured, but the glass is simply twisted around its axis (this way it will be possible to avoid splitting the glass). The first glass is turned over and placed upside down on a saucer. A paper napkin is placed between the saucer and the glass and a plastic tube is inserted into the container. Sambuca is drunk from the second glass, after which alcohol vapors are inhaled through a tube from the second glass. At the end of the “performance”, the guest is offered to eat 3 coffee beans.

As a continuation, the guest may be asked to inhale the sambuca through the nose. To do this, a few drops of heated liquor are dripped onto a glass turned upside down – it is their client who inhales through the nostril.

Why inhale the vapors of the drink? Sambuca is replete with essential oils, it was for their flavor that a specific supply was invented. Anise liqueur will satisfy not only the taste buds, but also the client’s sense of smell.

Also, sambuca is drunk with filtered warm or ice water, milk or lemon juice. Water and lemon juice are diluted with liquid, but milk is washed down. When diluted, the sambuca becomes cloudy. This is due to the poor solubility of the essential oils.

How to use the ingredient

Sambuca is used as the basis for the preparation of many cocktails. Strong alcohol goes well with citrus, coffee beans, tropical fruits and other alcohol. Among anise liqueur based cocktails are:

• “Anise banana” (prepared on the basis of whipped banana pulp, equal proportions of absinthe and sambuca);
• “Molichito” (prepared from sambuca, lime, mint and sugar);
• “Hiroshima” (based on sambuka, Beilis, absinthe and pomegranate syrup);
• “Red Dog” (consists of sambuca, tequila and a few drops of Tabasco sauce);
• “Molidorri” (made from sambuka, melon liqueur and orange juice).

Strong anise liqueur has been used in folk medicine since ancient times. The ancient Romans not only drank sambuca, but used it as an anti-inflammatory medicine. A small dose of alcohol really stimulates the digestive processes and helps the food to break down / assimilate faster. Like other alcoholic drinks, liquor helps to relax and relieve nervous tension. The main thing is not to abuse it and find a more rational way to achieve inner harmony.

Contraindications to use

Anise liqueur is a hard liquor. It is not recommended for use by persons under 18 years of age, pregnant and lactating women. Another contraindication is the individual intolerance of the drink and the components that make up its composition. Remember, excessive alcohol consumption causes irreparable harm to health. Know the measure and be healthy!