Each alcoholic drink has its own drinking culture. So, they drink dry drinks during lunch or dinner, as it improves the digestion process. They open it on holidays, and the glass is not drunk immediately, but is consumed gradually, in small sips. How to drink sambuca correctly - strong, with a pronounced anise flavor?
Before getting acquainted with the customs that make it clear how to drink sambuca, let's study the composition of the drink. The secret of the production of this alcohol has not been fully revealed: the Italians, who invented Sambuca liqueur, try to keep the full list of its ingredients secret.
In general, the composition is as follows:
- sugar;
- anise;
- wheat alcohol;
- herbs.
What herbs are put into the drink to give it a unique taste? It depends on the type of strong liquor. Regarding the composition, there is a legend that claims that the essential component of the drink is elderberry extract.
Black elderberry.
The name of the liqueur is partly explained by the presence of the indicated berry in it. How true this is is difficult to say. But now it is clear what sambuca is - it is a liqueur that contains, along with alcohol, beneficial plant ingredients. Many drink lovers claim that it can improve health if consumed correctly. The following qualities of sambuca are called:
- ability to relieve cough;
- “ability” to fight inflammatory diseases;
- increasing the body's immune forces.
So, how to drink sambuca? It's time to find out.
A thousand and one ways
- A simple way that will not surprise anyone is to pour 50 ml into a sambuca glass and drink “in one sitting.” Do this before a meal, because liquor (by the way, do you know how many degrees it has? About 40) is a great appetite stimulant. If you are depressed and don’t want to eat, take a glass, your appetite will appear.
- When it's hot outside, drink sambuca with ice.
- If you freeze sambuca liqueur in the freezer and serve it to guests with orange slices and lemon slices, they will appreciate such a delicious treat.
- “Italian” method: place three coffee beans in a glass. Pour 50 or 70 g of liqueur on top. Drink: the drink is easy to drink. After this, chew the grains. Italians call grains three symbols of a prosperous life: happiness, health, wealth.
- A burning glass of sambuca. If you're not used to it, it may seem scary, but it's unusual. Connoisseurs assure that the taste of hot sambuca is magnificent and unique. The taster's sensations are full of novelty. How to make a “fire cocktail”? We take 2 glasses. Throw 3 coffee beans into one, pour in liquor, and set it on fire. The bluish flame lasts for a second. When it goes out, pour the liquor into a rocks glass (wide glass) and drink it in one gulp. We quickly cover the second glass with a pre-prepared napkin, in which a hole is made and a tube is inserted. Anise vapors collect in the glass. You need to inhale them and then chew the coffee beans.
Why does sambuca burn? The liqueur is dense and contains fusel oils (though in small quantities). Hence the beautiful blue flame.
Some nightclub patrons who love the thrill ask bartenders to light the sambuca in their mouths. A true master of working with sambuca will be able to do this without harming the client’s health, but, you must admit, this technique is not suitable for everyone! So it’s better to try the safer methods described above.
What to drink with?
Since the world began making sambuca, drink lovers have been concerned with the question: what to drink the liqueur with?
How to snack on sambuca is a matter of taste, but the following are especially suitable for it:
- coffee beans;
- bitter chocolate;
- marmalade;
- fish dishes;
Snacks should not drown out, but enhance the taste. What else do you drink sambuca with? You will be surprised, but some people prefer to make cocktails with milk. Try it, you might like it too: pour liqueur into a glass, and then slowly pour in sambuca, spoon by spoon. This way the liquids do not mix, but lie beautifully in layers.
Sometimes they do this: they drink liqueur, and then half a glass of cold milk.
In hot weather, cocktails made from sambuca and mineral water in a ratio of 1 to 2 are good. An unusual drink is obtained by mixing liqueur with lukewarm black coffee.
Sambuca subspecies
Invented in 1851 in Italy and beginning its victorious march around the world after 1945, the liqueur today has many varieties. The most popular brand is Monticelli. Many people like:
- "Antika"(has a sweet and sour taste, notes of orange and coriander are noticeable);
- "Molinari"(sweet liqueur, especially rich in herbs);
- "Borgetti"(has a mild anise flavor).
This is not a complete list - there are other options around the world.
If you have ever tried sambuca, which method did you prefer? Safe – with ice or mineral water, or “club”, when, frozen by unusual sensations, you drink a glass of sambuca, over which flames have just danced?
Tell us about your methods and share your feelings. How would you recommend trying sambuca to someone who has not yet had the opportunity to do so? Or maybe you have your own secret that allows you to reveal the taste and aroma of the drink even more fully? Share with us! We are also ready for experiments.
When we hear the word “liqueur”, an image of a thick, even slightly viscous substance, very sweet in taste and not containing a large percentage of alcohol, appears before our eyes. However, sambuca liqueur breaks stereotypes, offering us a new interpretation of this term. In Latin, the name of this drink sounds like “liquor”, which means “liquid”. So in most European languages this term refers to strong alcoholic drinks, regardless of their consistency. That is why Sambuca liqueur has every right to be called this way, although it is a colorless liquid, the alcohol content of which can reach 38 - 42%.
So, when we have figured out the physical state of this delicacy, it’s time to talk about its taste. It's time to feel nostalgic for those whose childhood was during the existence of the Soviet Union. Remember the aroma and sharp, tart taste of cough syrup? If you decide to buy sambuca liqueur, be sure to remember. And it's all about the anise that is part of this drink. In general, manufacturers do not provide an exact recipe for how exactly Sambuca anise liqueur is prepared. However, some of the ingredients are still known, and based on this information one can already judge the taste of this drink.
In addition to the notorious star anise, which causes attacks of nostalgia, sambuca liqueur includes wheat alcohol, of course sugar, elderberry extract and aromatic herbs unknown to mere mortals, which are kept secret by the producers. By the way, it is black elderberry that is added in order to somewhat soften the effect of anise.
By the way, if you want to buy sambuca liqueur, remember - it can not only be transparent, this is quite normal. Its taste directly depends on the color of the drink. So, sambuca can be of three types:
White Sambuca (transparent) . Traditional sambuca liqueur, which should be sweet but not cloying, combines the refreshing tones of lemon and anise. This drink is moderately viscous, not too alcoholic in smell, has a delicate aroma and a long aftertaste.
Black Sambuca . Prepared on the basis of the classic version of this drink. In fact, black sambuca has more of a dark blue tint. The liqueur gets its color thanks to the addition of certain spices, as well as licorice and licorice extracts. They not only give the drink a more impressive appearance, but also somewhat soften its taste.
Red Sambuca . This liqueur is also a variation of the classic drink. It is tinted with extracts from berries. Naturally, red sambuca will taste slightly different from its counterparts precisely for this reason.
It must be said that both men, who are attracted by its strength, and ladies, attracted by its taste and aromatic qualities, are not averse to buying sambuca liqueur. However, everyone has their own favorite way to consume this drink, which not least depends on the taste sensations received from it.
For men looking for strong impressions, we can recommend the classic method, which is called “with flies.” When using it, sambuca liqueur is not only flavored with coffee beans, but also set on fire. As a result, its taste becomes less sweet and cloying, which men will like.
But women can soften the harsh taste of sambuca by adding water to it or simply freezing the bottle. In the latter case, it is also customary to eat the liqueur with a slice of lemon or orange. Citrus fruits will definitely beat off the annoying tones of cough syrup, making the aniseed sambuca liqueur softer.
There are those who prefer to drink this drink in its pure form. It’s worth following their example, if not for the taste, but also for the health benefits. They say that when coughing, sambuca anise liqueur can bring relief.
Sambuca– liqueur with anise aroma and sweet taste. Star anise, herbs and elderflowers are most often used to prepare it, but there are other ingredients that, in addition to taste, can change the color of the drink.
Due to its density, the liqueur is great for creating various multi-layered shots, but, as a rule, sambuca is drunk neat or set on fire.
History of Sambuca
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the term comes from the Latin word "sambucus", meaning "elderberry".
An interesting fact is that the Greek word "sambuca" was first used as the 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 the sambuca we drink today came from a failed experiment by Luigi Manzi of Civitavecchia. 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 own sambuca under the Molinari brand (Molinari Sambuca Extra). From that moment on, the popularity of liqueur in Italy increased.
The popularization of sambuca throughout Italy did not go unnoticed. Over time, the liqueur 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 is there in sambuca?
The strength ranges from 38-42 degrees. It all depends on the degree of dilution of the wheat alcohol underlying the drink.
Composition of sambuca
The basic component of sambuca liqueur is high-quality wheat alcohol. Plus, it includes such plant components as star and common anise, extract from berries and elderberry flowers, as well as a number of aromatic herbs and roots, the name and ratio of which are known only to the manufacturers themselves.
Well, and, of course, all this alcoholic herb is richly flavored with sugar, which you can easily see after the first sip.
What does sambuca smell like?
If you have ever dealt with drinks that contain anise (Greek ouzo, Turkish rakia, Swiss-French absinthe or our native East Slavic anise), you can easily answer this question yourself.
Any alcohol infused with anise will, of course, smell like that same anise. This vigorous plant will mercilessly clog up all other odors. 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 complex and very diverse issue. If we are talking about already uncorked liqueur, 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 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 the average liqueur 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 is worth keeping in mind that this level of calorie content is also quite high.
Why do they set fire to sambuca?
Due to the high content of volatile essential oils, this drink is easily flammable and goes out just as easily. Modern youth are especially delighted by this infernal way of drinking liquor.
Why inhale sambuca vapors?
All because of the same essential oils. For lovers of anise aroma, inhaling the vapors of the Italian drink can bring additional pleasure. In addition, for bohemian people, this process is associated with the dubious charm of decadent cocaine orgies.
There are many ways to consume the currently fashionable sambuca liqueur. Most often, preference is given to the following.
The “drink as you eat” method. Despite the fact that this liqueur from sunny Italy is quite sweet, many prefer to drink it undiluted in its natural state. In such cases, it plays the role of a kind of digestif. This is what knowledgeable people call drinks that are usually served at the end of a meal.
A little trick for this method. Cool the sambuca well before drinking so that its sugary sweetness does not spoil the flavor bouquet. Before serving, the liqueur should spend at least half an hour in the freezer.
Method “with” (Italian) – the “flies” in the glass will be three coffee beans. They originally represented happiness, wealth and health, but some people forget this and perceive them as the "highlight" of the drink to create a contrast.
In order to please yourself with sambuca in the Italian version, take liqueur, a couple of glasses, a saucer, 3 coffee beans, cocktail straws, napkins and a lighter (matches).
Throw coffee beans into the first glass, pour in 50 to 70 milliliters of sambuca. Place a napkin on a saucer, make a hole in its center for a straw (insert it with the short end).
The culmination of the preparation process is to set fire to the sambuca. The high strength of the liqueur makes this process simple and very effective. Watch the blue flame dance over the glass for 5 seconds, then quickly pour the liqueur into the second glass, and cover it on top with the empty one. The flame will go out after a few seconds, and vapor will collect in the top glass. They should be inhaled through a straw. Carefully set this glass aside and place it on a saucer with a straw.
But don’t forget about safety precautions, be careful and don’t raise your glass too high.
Use liqueur in the following order:
Drink the liquid from the glass;
- hold the coffee beans in your mouth;
- inhale the vapor several times;
- chew the grains.
The "burning stack" method. This option is especially popular among Russians. Light the liquor and after 3-5 seconds extinguish the flame with a sharp exhalation. Then drink the warm drink in one gulp, like vodka or alcohol.
Diluted sambuca is perfect for drinking in the summer heat. Cold mineral water is sufficient for preparation. In this case, no specific proportions are established. It all depends on how strong your liqueurs are.
The extreme method is suitable for the most daring alcohol lovers. Take the liqueur into your mouth, but do not rush to swallow the drink. After this, dry your lips thoroughly, tilt your head back and open your mouth. Ask someone or yourself to bring a burning match, and when you feel heat in your mouth, close your lips and swallow the warm liquid.
Excellent taste, accessibility and spectacular presentation have made sambuca a hit at youth parties. Now Italian anise liqueur can be found on the menu of all reputable establishments. Gradually, the culture of its use migrated to our homes, firmly entrenched here. I will tell you how to drink sambuca correctly in different ways, revealing all the facets of this amazing drink.
1. Italian method (“with flies”). Classic serving option. “Flies” are three coffee beans that symbolize health, wealth and happiness. You will need: sambuca, two glasses, coffee beans, cocktail straws, paper napkins and matches (lighter).
In the first glass you need to throw three coffee beans and pour 50-70 ml of sambuca into it. Next, make a hole in the center of the paper napkin by inserting a cocktail tube into it with the short end, as shown in the figure. In order not to stain the table, I advise you to place this design on a small saucer.
Napkin with a straw Next comes the most interesting part - lighting the sambuca with a match or lighter. Due to its high strength, the liqueur is highly flammable. Sambuca should burn with a blue flame for 5-10 seconds. Then you need to pour the flaming drink into the second glass, and cover it with the first one. When the fire goes out, very carefully transfer the first glass in which the vapors have collected to a napkin.
First, drink sambuca from a glass in one gulp, holding the coffee beans in your mouth, then take a few deep breaths through the straw and chew the coffee. The procedure is repeated the desired number of times.
2. Two glasses. The method is shown in the second video. It differs from its Italian counterpart only in the absence of coffee and in the fact that before lighting the sambuca, the glass is slightly heated with a lighter. Repeating all this at home is not difficult.
3. In its pure form. Sambuca is an excellent digestif - a dessert drink served at the end of a meal with sweet dishes, coffee and fruit. But before drinking sambuca in its pure form, you need to cool it well by placing the bottle in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Burning stack. A favorite method of many Russians, as it requires a minimum of body movements and is somewhat reminiscent of the culture of drinking vodka. It is enough to pour sambuca into a shot glass, set it on fire and let it burn for 5-8 seconds. Next, extinguish the liqueur with one strong exhalation and drink in one gulp while it is hot.
Sambuca burns beautifully! 5. Sambuca with mineral water. In hot weather, you can drink sambuca diluted with cold mineral water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 (one part of liqueur to two or three parts of mineral water).
Diluted sambuca has a slight anise flavor. Immediately after adding water it becomes cloudy. This is normal and does not affect the taste. It's all about the high concentration of essential oils, which are poorly soluble in water.
6. Sambuca with milk. Some connoisseurs like to drink sambuca with fresh cold milk. I advise you to try it.
General tips:
- before drinking sambuca, it is better to eat a hearty meal;
- it is very difficult to inhale vapors for the first time, but after several trainings it will become much easier;
- in reasonable quantities, sambuca does not cause a hangover or fumes; the next day after drinking it, you can work or study normally.
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