Sambuca is an aniseed liqueur invented by the Italians in the 1960th century. Its popularity peaked in the XNUMXs, when Molinari’s celebrity advertisements positioned the drink as an attribute of la dolce vita. Unfortunately, the reputation of the liquor was badly damaged in the following decades, when the inexpensive and rather strong sambuca became associated with lawlessness at noisy student parties.
Sambuca producers present their products at world alcohol competitions. There are no separate competitions for it, drinks are evaluated in a category under the general name Liqueur (Liquor).
The best sambuca according to the jury of world competitions
In recent years, sambuca has not appeared on the list of winners of the World Liqueur Awards, held annually in London. The classic Antica Sambuca was last crowned as an anise liqueur champion in 2016. The experts noted the rich taste of the drink with a well-balanced sweetness and strong anise notes on the finish. Antiche Distillerie Riunite makes a drink from anise infusion, to which a mixture of 15 herbs and spices is added. The plant uses copper equipment installed in the early 1940s.
At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020, sambuca was not included in the lists of the best drinks in its class for obvious reasons – most Italian and Spanish manufacturers simply could not bring their products to the competition due to the coronavirus epidemic. A year earlier, Ramazzotti sambuca, a legendary Milanese drink with a mid-XNUMXth century recipe, was awarded silver. The main ingredients are star anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon and coriander.
The silver medal in 2019 went to Black Sambuca produced by the young English company Shiny Cowbird, which specializes in handmade craft alcohol. Black sambuca is the company’s most popular product, made according to traditional technologies based on grain alcohol, Chinese anise, Iranian licorice and Italian elderberry.
In 2018, the San Francisco competition turned out to be more generous in terms of medals. Double gold went to Antica Classic and Enrico Nardini Sambuca, a Tuscan anise liqueur with 42% abv. Enrico Nardini has been operating since 1880 and produces syrups and alcoholic drinks based on herbs, fruits and berries.
Sambuca rating in Russia
Sambuca is in demand in their homeland – Italians often season coffee with sweet alcohol instead of sugar. Russian consumers regard the drink as exotic, although the trick of setting fire to the liquor is always popular in nightclubs.
The classic way of drinking the drink is called con mosca (“with flies”), when three coffee beans are added to a glass of chilled sambuca, denoting happiness, health and financial well-being.
The best sambuca according to Russians:
- Molinari (Molinari) is a family-owned Italian company that occupies 2/3 of the domestic market. The brand appeared in Russia in 2011 and tops the popularity rating of anise liqueurs. The recipe for Molinari Extra sambuca is kept secret. The main ingredient is Chinese star anise, which has a more refined taste than simple green varieties. No less popular is the manufacturer’s coffee liqueur, where sambuca is already mixed with Arabica extract.
- Ramazzotti (Ramazotti) – sambuca from Milan, the quality is not inferior to products of the Molinari brand, the drinks are in the same price category. Bottles are traditionally designed by the best Italian artists.
- Luxardo (Luxardo) – a well-known manufacturer of liqueurs, the plant is located in the vicinity of Padua. Sambuca dei Cesari is made according to a family recipe based on herbs with the addition of volcanic water from its own sources.
