![]() ![]() As they had disturbed the old lady and her family, her solution was to flambé the sambuca with a match. Meanwhile, the most common legend is that three flies were drawn to the sugary sweet sambuca and landed in an old ladies glass. One belief is that started as a practical joke where somebody would drop a coffee bean into their friend’s sambuca when they weren’t looking to surprise them. There are numerous stories as to how the sambuca fly tradition started. In Italy, this practice is referred to as “sambuca con la mosca” or “sambuca with the fly”. Often referred to a “sambuca fly”, a shot of the alcoholic spirit may be served with a roasted coffee bean in the glass, which is chewed when drinking. Occasionally, people may refer to red sambuca too, which tends to consist of some of the alternative flavourings listed above. In fact, it tends to have hues of dark blue or violet, which resembles ink. Additionally, black sambuca is rarely totally black. Unlike white sambuca, black sambuca is also served neat and often in a snifter glass rather than a shot glass. However, its presence is far less prolific in black sambuca. While a typical clear or white sambuca is flavoured with anise, elderberries, and sugar, black sambuca consists of witch elder bush and liquorice. Indeed, some brands may produce a variety of flavours including apple, raspberry, banana, or even coffee. While on some occasions, brands will abide by this to the letter, the majority of producers will retail sambuca of at least 40% and sometimes slightly more at around 42% ABV.īlack sambuca or dark sambuca is the most common alternative sambuca flavour. Once the mixture has settled, it is always filtered at room temperature as chill-filtering would cause a louche effect and remove the essential oils. However, most sambuca producers will often import the star anise from China as an essential and will rarely undertake the process themselves.įinally, the ingredients are combined and left to rest for just under a week in large steel tanks. Sambuca contains a significant amount of sugar, which equates to an average of 350 grams per litre or 47 ounces per US gallon.Īfterwards, the star anise is blanched and then crushed before its essential oils are extracted through steam distillation. However, akvavit steeps the botanicals while sambuca introduces the ingredients as essentials oils.įirstly, demineralised water is heated to around 70☌ (150☏) and is combined with the sugar to produce a syrup. Overall, the process is not dissimilar to producing akvavit in that the ingredients are simply added to the alcohol to create its unique flavour. ![]() Additionally, sambuca may also include other botanicals including elderflower, fennel, and liquorice. Occasionally, green anise is used instead. ![]() Typically, sambuca’s ingredients consist of the alcohol, star anise, and sugar. As a result, their overall flavour profiles are only somewhat similar but generally quite different. Meanwhile, sambuca is heavily sweetened with pure sugar. However, not all of them feature sufficient anise essential oils for the effect to be visible.įinally, ouzo is a dry anise-flavoured drink. Occasionally, sambuca will also turn cloudy when diluted in water. However, when the concentration drops below 30% ABV, it becomes cloudy. Like absinthe, the anise’s essential oils called terpenes are transparent when suspended in alcohol. When ouzo is diluted with water, it becomes cloudy, which is known as the “ouzo effect” or the “louche”. Additionally, ouzo is almost always served with ice-cold water. Additionally, both sambuca and ouzo were first produced in the mid-19th century.įirstly, Greek ouzo is typically served as an apéritif before a meal whereas Italian sambuca is often enjoyed as a digestif as we explain below. An often asked question is what is the difference between ouzo and sambuca? Indeed, both are clear anise-flavoured alcoholic spirits that are served in Mediterranean countries that are relatively geographically close. ![]()
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