Not everyone knows that the sambuca, the sweet liqueur based on star anise, fennel and distillate of elder flowers, was born in Civitavecchia, in 1851, by Luigi Manzi, although, from the middle of the ‘900, was launched worldwide by Angelo Molinari. Sambuca is still very appreciated today, both for the intense flavor of anise, both for its digestive properties. The name sambuca is linked to a legend: it is said that Luigi Manzi, whose distillery was in a room located above the port of Civitavecchia, had made a hole in the floor to introduce smuggled alcohol; and since that “hole” was to be considered truly “holy” as it allowed him to realize considerable savings on production costs, hence the idea of calling the liquor so.
Sambuca can be drunk in several ways: smooth, with ice, with coffee beans, as a correction for coffee, with water or as an ingredient for cocktails.
