Contents
Sambuca – liqueur with anise flavor and sweet taste. For its preparation, star anise, spicy herbs and elder flowers are most often used, but there are other ingredients that, in addition to taste, can change the color of the drink.
Due to its density, the liquor is great for creating various layered shots, but, as a rule, sambuca is drunk neat or set on fire.
Sambuca cocktail recipes and how to drink.
Sambuca history
The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that the term comes from the Latin word “sambucus”, meaning “elder”.
An interesting fact is that the Greek word “sambuca” was first used as a name for another elderberry liqueur, which was created in Civitavecchia (a city in central Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea) about 130 years ago.
It is believed that in the entrance of an unsuccessful experiment by Luigi Manzi from Civitavecchia, exactly the sambuca that we drink today appeared. The first commercial batch went on sale in 1800 under the brand name “Manzi Sambuca”.
In 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, Commander Angelo Molinari began producing his sambuca under the Molinari brand (Molinari Sambuca Extra). Since then, the popularity of liquor in Italy has gone up.
The popularization of sambuca throughout Italy did not go unnoticed. Over time, the liquor has successfully conquered almost all world markets and at the moment it is easier to list the countries where it is not sold.
How many degrees in sambuca
The fortress fluctuates between 38-42 degrees. It all depends on the degree of dilution of the wheat alcohol underlying the drink.
Sambuki composition
The basic component of sambuca liquor is high-quality wheat alcohol. Plus, it includes such plant components as star and common anise, an extract from berries and elder flowers, as well as a number of aromatic herbs and roots, the name and ratio of which is known only to the producers themselves.
Well, and, of course, all this alcoholic forbs is richly flavored with sugar, which you can easily verify after the first sip.
What does sambuca smell like
If you have ever dealt with drinks that include anise (Greek ouzo, Turkish brandy, Swiss-French absinthe, or our native East Slavic anise), you yourself can easily answer this question.
Any alcohol infused with anise, of course, will smell of this very anise. This vigorous plant will mercilessly kill all other smells. Although, it should be noted that some particularly zealous connoisseurs of Italian decoction are able to detect a slight hint of elderberry in its smell.
Shelf life of sambuca
In fact, this is a difficult and very diverse issue. If we are talking about already uncorked liquor, then its shelf life is approximately four months.
If we talk about liquor stored in sealed containers, then in this case it is easiest to carefully read the contents of the label. For example, “Sambuca Isolabella” can be safely stored for twenty-four months, and “Molinari Sambuca Extra” is ready to quietly show off in your bar for five whole years.
Calorie content of sambuca
Although this strong Italian alcohol belongs to the category of liqueurs, its caloric content is somewhat inferior to the latter.
So, if the calorie content of one hundred grams of an average liquor is 350 kilocalories, then in our case the bar drops to 240 kcal and is equal to the indicators characteristic of vodka or cognac.
It should be borne in mind that this level of calorie content is also very high.
Why set fire to sambuca
Due to the high content of volatile essential oils, this drink ignites easily and goes out just as easily. This infernal way of drinking liquor is especially delighted with modern youth.
Why inhale sambuca vapors
All because of the same essential oils. For lovers of anise flavor, inhaling the vapors of an Italian drink can deliver additional pleasure. In addition, for people of a bohemian warehouse, this process is associated with the dubious charm of decadent cocaine orgies.
Are there glasses for sambuca
On the Internet, they say that they not only exist, but even have a special elongated shape. However, this seems to be a myth. In practice, the liquor of interest to us is in most cases drunk from ordinary shot glasses.
Relevance: 05.04.2016
Tags: Liqueurs, Liqueurs, Tinctures