Ingredients
Essential oils of star anise and green anise on a neutral spirit base, sweetened heavily and traditionally rounded with elderflower — the sambucus that likely gave the category its name.
- ✦Star anise
- ✦Green anise
- ✦Elderflower (sambucus)
- ✦Liquorice
- ✦Sugar
History of the Brand
Anise liqueurs have been made around Civitavecchia since the 1800s, but the modern category was defined when Angelo Molinari launched Sambuca Extra in 1945.
Molinari became the best-selling sambuca in Italy and remains the reference bottling, made by the third generation of the family.
The ritual of con la mosca — 'with the fly' — serves the liqueur neat with three coffee beans representing health, happiness and prosperity.
Sambuca's other Roman ritual is the caffè corretto, a shot of espresso corrected with a splash of anise.
Tasting Characteristics
Star anise, liquorice root, faint elderflower.
Very sweet, thick liquorice and anise, mild warming heat.
Clean, cooling and long, with a menthol-like anise echo.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Con la mosca: neat with three coffee beans.
- 02In a caffè corretto — espresso with a splash of sambuca.
- 03Over ice, where it clouds white like pastis.
- 04With cold water, one to one, as an anise long drink.
- 05A bar spoon in a stirred drink for aromatic sweetness.
Where to Get It
Sold almost everywhere. The Molinari Extra bottle with the red label is the standard reference point for the category.
Most liquor stores
Widely stocked at $22–$30.
Online spirits retailers
Look for 'Molinari Extra' rather than generic sambuca.
Italy
A fixture in every bar and supermarket.
Affiliate buying links coming soon.
Sambuca (Molinari) FAQ
What is sambuca?
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A sweet Italian anise liqueur, typically 38–42% ABV, flavoured with star anise and green anise and traditionally associated with elderflower.
What does con la mosca mean?
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'With the fly' — sambuca served neat with three floating coffee beans that stand for health, happiness and prosperity.
Why does sambuca turn cloudy with water?
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Anise essential oils are soluble in alcohol but not in water, so adding water makes them come out of solution — the same louche effect seen in pastis and absinthe.
What is a caffè corretto with sambuca?
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An espresso 'corrected' with a splash of sambuca, drunk after meals throughout Italy.
Is Molinari the best sambuca?
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It is the benchmark and Italy's best-seller. Molinari Extra is the standard reference bottling for the category.