Ingredients
Around seventy herbs and spices from across the world, with saffron providing the liqueur's brilliant yellow colour and mint, juniper, fennel and cinnamon shaping the palate. Sweet, aromatic and considerably stronger than it tastes.
- ✦Saffron
- ✦Mint
- ✦Fennel
- ✦Juniper
- ✦Cinnamon
- ✦Coriander
- ✦Iris root
- ✦Roughly 70 herbs in total
History of the Brand
Giuseppe Alberti began producing Strega in Benevento in 1860, next to the railway station that carried it across the newly unified Italy.
The name means 'witch' and nods to the legend that Benevento's walnut tree was a gathering place for witches, who brewed a potion that bound lovers together forever.
The Alberti family has run the distillery for six generations and still operates it in Benevento.
Strega funds the Premio Strega, Italy's most prestigious literary prize, awarded annually since 1947.
Tasting Characteristics
Saffron, honey, mint and anise.
Sweet and viscous, with saffron, fennel, mint and warm cinnamon spice.
Long and warming, faintly bitter at the edges.
Flavor meter
How to serve it
- 01Chilled and neat as a digestivo.
- 02Over ice with soda and lemon.
- 03In coffee, or poured over gelato and sponge cake.
- 04In place of Chartreuse in a Last Word for a sweeter, saffron-tinted drink.
- 05In a Hanky Panky variation with a bar spoon alongside the Fernet.
Where to Get It
Widely distributed worldwide; the tall bottle with the yellow liquid is easy to spot. Also sold as chocolates and torrone in Benevento.
Most liquor stores
Common enough to sit in general liqueur sections, not specialty shelves.
Online spirits retailers
Usually $28–$38 for 750ml.
Benevento
The distillery sells Strega confectionery and the full range on site.
Affiliate buying links coming soon.
Strega FAQ
What is Strega?
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A 40% ABV Italian herbal liqueur made in Benevento since 1860 from about seventy herbs and spices, coloured bright yellow by saffron.
Why is Strega yellow?
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Saffron in the recipe gives the liqueur its natural golden-yellow colour.
What does Strega mean?
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It means 'witch' in Italian, a reference to the legend of witches gathering under a walnut tree in Benevento.
Is Strega like Chartreuse?
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They are cousins — both are complex herbal liqueurs — but Strega is sweeter, softer and saffron-and-mint led, while Chartreuse is drier and more intensely botanical.
How do you drink Strega?
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Chilled and neat after dinner, over ice with soda, in coffee, or poured over gelato. It also substitutes for Chartreuse in cocktails.