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.