Absinthe Blog

Sambuca is an Italian spice flavored liquor that is made in much the same way that other popular liquors are which is by beginning with pure distilled alcohol. The main flavoring ingredient in Sambuca is anise and most particularly the star anise.

The flavor of the star anise is imparted into Sambuca by first distilling the essential oils from it and then adding the distillate to the concoction along with sugar and other natural flavors. Sambuca is drank in many ways including straight out of a glass as well as an ingredient in many types of popular and flavorful mixed cocktails.

The actual history of this flavorful Italian liquor is somewhat vague but many have traced its origins to an anise flavored drink by Arab name of “Zammut” which first appeared in the port of Cititavecchia on trade ships that were arriving from the East.

The name Sambuca was first used to describe the drink as it is known today approximately 130 years ago in Italy and it was brought to America along with so many other things that Italian immigrants brought with them from their homeland when they began migrating to the U.S.

It was in the late 1800s that the first commercial version first appeared in the Italian port city of Civitavecchia, which was produced by a man by the name of Luigi Manzi. However; the first large scale production of Sambuca was began in 1945 by a man by the name of Angelo Molinari who began the production of a brand of Sambuca called “Sambuca Extra Molinari”, which was distributed around the entire country of Italy.

One very popular way to serve Sambuca is over ice in a small glass that is garnished with a few dark roasted coffee beans. Sambuca is a clear liquor but the ice will cause it to turn cloudy after it is added to the glass.

Vermouth is actually a type of fortified wine that has been flavored with various types of aromatic herbs and spices according to a guarded trade secret. Vermouth comes in sweetened and unsweetened varieties, with the unsweetened type being commonly referred to as “dry”.

It was a man by the name of Antonio Carpano who is credited with creating the first vermouth recipe in 1786 and he decided on the name “vermouth” because he was attempting to emulate a type of German wine that was flavored at the time with the wormwood herb.

At that time, the common German pronunciation for wormwood was “wermuth” and it was also the same pronunciation for his new product. In Antonio Carponos time, due to the lack of modern medicine there were a variety of tonics that were available and in fact it is speculated that this is what vermouth was first marketed as due to its bitter flavor that was required of any tonic of that period.

In general, there are three accepted styles of modern vermouth ranging from “dry white”, “extra dry white” and “sweet red”. The red sweet variety of vermouth is occasionally drank straight up as well as being used in mixed drinks and most notably the Manhattan martini with the dry white type of vermouth being commonly used in standard vodka and gin martinis.

It is also common to hear red vermouths being referred to as Italian vermouths and white vermouths being referred to as French vermouths however; not all French vermouths are white and neither are all Italian vermouths red.

One thing to remember is that vermouth is not a liquor but rather is a wine and this means that it should be stored as such. An unopened bottle of vermouth should always be stored on its side and an opened bottle of vermouth should always be kept refrigerated.

Ouzo is a clear, sweet anise flavored liquor that is popular in Greece and is similar in taste to Italian Sambuca, French Pastis and Raki which is a Turkish liquor. The actual history of this exotic Greek liquor is somewhat unclear but some researchers have traced its origins to ancient times.

It is speculated that its origins began as the result of the introduction of liquors such as Turkish Raki, which is an anise flavored drink that was carried by Arabic speaking merchant seamen as they traded throughout the Mediterranean.

The actual origin of the  name “Ouzo” is also unclear but it has been speculated that it was derived from a stamp “uzo” that was placed on crates of high grade silkworm cocoons that were exported out of Tyrnavos during the late nineteenth century.

It was Greek independence in the 19th century that gave birth to the modern Ouzo industry that is largely centered on the island of Lesbos. Still one more factor the contributed to the growth in popularity of Ouzo along with other anise flavored exotic liquors was the outlawing of absinthe in most European and all Western countries a century ago.

One of the more recent events concerning Ouzo happened on October 25, 2006 when Greece won the exclusive labeling rights to the name “Ouzo” as well as a few other Greek liquors. This means that only a liquor made in Greece can be be labeled as Ouzo which was a big victory for both the liquor makers in Greece and connoisseurs of fine authentic liquors around the globe.

Most Ouzos are between 36-40% alcohol and a popular traditional way to drink it is mixed with cola over ice. However; many people prefer to drink it straight over ice in a medium sized glass. Also there are some popular cocktail recipes that are available that call for Ouzo as an ingredient.