Sambuca is a famous national Italian drink. This liqueur has a specific aroma of star anise, or as it is also called - star anise. It is because of the unique aniseed taste for sambuca that you cannot remain indifferent. They either love her or cannot bear it to the spirit. For many, the peculiar spicy taste of sambuca is associated with medical syrup. But nevertheless there are much more admirers of this drink than those who did not like it.

What is a sambuca?

It is worth noting that this is a fairly strong alcoholic drink with an alcohol content of 38 to 42%. Often it is transparent, but sometimes it is painted with the help of natural dyes in black, red and even blue.

What taste, besides anise, does sambuca have? The anatomy of the drink is quite complex and consists of extracts of aromatic herbs, berries, flowers. Another famous ingredient in sambuca is elderberry flowers, but still the exact recipe of the drink is not known to anyone. Manufacturers carefully hide the full composition of aniseed liquor from the masses.

Origin history

Many admirers of this liquor ask the question: "Sambuca - what is this amazing drink, and how was it invented?" In fact, the history of the invention of this liqueur is very cliched and peculiar to many alcoholic drinks. It all started with an ordinary experiment, when someone decided to add a spicy spice - star anise (star anise) to wheat spirit. The result of the experiment was so amazing that after many years you and I can enjoy the fragrant invigorating sambuca. But then this drink was nicknamed “Zammut” and was considered a drug, although sometimes it was used just for fun.

Naturally, sambuca is not only wheat alcohol and anise. Its composition was enriched for many years, and the recipe was improved. 1945 was the year of the official birth of this alcohol. It was then that the Italian winemaker Angelo Molinari improved the recipe by adding extracts from plants known only to him, and gave the spicy liquor the name of sambuca. That this creation would bring him fame and become a recognized alcoholic beverage, he did not yet know.

Now the most popular and widespread brand of sambuca bears the name of its creator - Molinari Sambuca Extra.

The origin of the name "sambuca"

Let's look at the origin of the name "sambuca". What is this word, and where did it come from?

There are several options for the emergence of such a name for the drink.

The first option is the name Sambucus nigra elderberry, the flowers of which are added in the manufacture of liquor. There is also an Arabic version of the appearance of the name. She says that she got the name of the sambuca due to the name of the Arab ships that transported it between the continents. Some are of the opinion that the name comes from a similar name for a city in the Tuscan province.

Nevertheless, the most historically substantiated opinion is that the name of the drink gave the name of its main component - anise (translated from Arabic). Zammut - the so-called drink-ancestor of sambuca, which was made and consumed in the Middle Ages.

Ways to use sambuca

It simply surprises a huge number of methods (you can call them rituals) for using sambuca. How to drink sambuca? 6 correct ways we will consider further.

1. In its pure form, sambuca is rarely drunk and in very small doses. Most often they use it as a digestif after a plentiful meal. The Romans slightly modified this way of making anise liqueur. Traditionally, they fill a special glass with sambuca, throw a couple of coffee beans there, warm them up and drink in one gulp.

2. Perhaps the most famous method of consumption - "sambuca with flies" - is also from Italy. There are also coffee beans. According to an ancient legend, there should be three of them. Each grain thrown into a glass with liquor is the personification of the human good: eternal health, unlimited happiness and prosperity.

3. "Props" for the implementation of the following method - "fire sambuca" - will serve as a special glass made of thickened glass. Pour liquor into this glass, set fire to it and wait until the flame goes out by itself. After the contents of the glass you need to drink in one gulp, without biting. It is important to feel and enjoy the spicy aftertaste of the drink.

4. Another way to use sambuca can be compared with this presentation. This is perhaps the most extreme method. Sambuca is typed in the mouth, for safety, you need to wet your lips with a napkin, then throw your head back and open your mouth. The show begins when the waiter sets fire to a drink in the mouth. It should be swallowed as soon as the heat begins to be felt.

5. The next method, although connected with the flame, is not as dangerous as the previous one. It is necessary to take two glasses, in one of which pour sambuca and set on fire. After a few seconds, pour the burning sambuca into another glass, and turn it over or empty it with a napkin. The burning sambuca is drunk in one gulp, after which the vapors from the first glass are inhaled through the tube. All this can be eaten with coffee beans.

6. Sambuca with ice. Italians love to use sambuca on hot days, putting a few ice cubes in a glass or pre-freezing the drink. One variation of this method is to dilute aniseed liquor with iced mineral water. If ice is thrown into the sambuca or water is added, the presence of essential oils in the composition makes the drink cloudy.

What is sambuca used for and what is it for?

Sambuca - what is it and with what is it drunk? Not all questions have been answered. As you noticed, there are many different interesting ways to absorb this liquor, but what can be a complement to it? What foods are best combined with sambuca?

Extreme lovers and owners of strong stomachs drink this alcoholic drink with milk. You should immediately warn that not everyone will like such a connection. Much more harmonious than sambuca is combined with coffee (strong espresso) or tea.

The best sambuca duet forms with Italian dishes. It will also be appropriate in combination with traditional Japanese dishes.

It is advisable in the form of appetizers for sambuca to serve brackish, light dishes - cheeses, feta cheese, cold meat snacks, olives. For lovers of sweets, you can recommend marmalade and a variety of desserts containing peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and other nuts. A good combination for this liqueur will be fruits: grapes, orange, lemon, apples.

Sambuca liquor: calorie content, useful properties  a drink

Like any strong alcoholic drink, sambuca in large quantities can adversely affect the body. But the correct, dosed use of aniseed liquor will not do any harm. Or maybe the other way around.

Since ancient times, sambuca was served after food and played the role of a digestif. Its purpose is to help in the digestion of food. In addition, alcohol that is consumed on a full stomach does much less harm to the body.

Components such as anise and elderberry give this liquor a whole list of beneficial properties. It improves digestion, has an anti-inflammatory effect, relieves cough, strengthens the immune system and promotes a speedy recovery from colds.

The composition of sambuca contains vitamins B6 and PP, calcium, potassium, sodium. The calorie content of this liqueur is 240 kcal per 100 ml.

Sambuca Cocktails

We learned that there are many ways to use pure sambuca, but there are also a huge variety of cocktails where this liqueur is combined with other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, creating unique notes of taste.

How to use this drink - the choice is yours. Someone likes to feel a clean, refined aftertaste of sambuca, and someone likes to dilute its taste with other, alcoholic and not only components.

Admirers of aniseed drink will not remain indifferent to cocktails, which include sambuca. What kind of recipes are to be found out below.

Sambuca Cocktail Recipes

Cocktail "Poison Mint"

Mix mint syrup and sambuca in a cocktail glass until smooth. Carefully pour in absinthe to form a layer. Absinthe set on fire. Drink through a straw as quickly as possible.

The Four Horsemen Cocktail

Four components are used in equal parts: tequila, sambuca, rum, Jagermeister (fruit and herbal liquor). Mix everything in a glass for whiskey. Drink very carefully and little by little.

Cocktail "Red Dog"

• Sambuca - 30ml.
• White tequila - 30 ml.
• Spicy Tabasco sauce.

Fill the shotka shot with half sambuca, carefully pour white tequila on top. In appearance, the cocktail will be monophonic, but due to the difference in density of sambuca and tequila - two-layer. When you drop a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce, it will lie on the border between two liquids, in the middle. The cocktail produces an invigorating effect. You need to drink it in one gulp.

Sambuca in cooking

Earlier we learned that for an amazing drink - sambuca, everything about sambuca, liquors with sambuca, cocktails with sambuca, but few people know that this strong alcoholic liquor can add spice to culinary masterpieces.

But not only for sweet dishes, you can use this drink. Culinary experts often experiment by adding sambuca to sauces for meat and fish dishes. Sambuca is a favorite ingredient for "adult desserts." Ice cream, jelly, creamy panacotta will gain a new sound if the composition contains sambuca. Anise liqueur is able to transform the taste of almost any sweet dessert.

A strong drink, shrouded in myths, the inspirer of great artists and sculptors it is. Its strength can be from 55 to 85 degrees. Translated from French, absinthe means "wormwood." An important component is just the extract of wormwood, in essential oils which contains a large amount of thujone. According to one version of its origin in its current form, the drink was invented by the Enrio sisters at the end of the 18th century and was called Bon Extrait d’Absinthe.

The aristocrats of France called him the Green Fairy, and the British called the Emerald Witch. It was banned in many countries as a powerful narcotic drug, causing madness, from 1907 to 1998. Now this alcohol can be found on store shelves, and in bars it is served in a variety of ways, including burning.

Appearing, this alcohol was expensive. He quickly gained fame as a bohemian privileged drink and, shrouded in mysticism, aroused incredible interest among the rest of the population. Van Gogh, Maupassant, Edgar Allan Poe and many others used it constantly and publicly, as it was considered fashionable.

The desire to diversify the taste sensations of unusual alcohol leads to the birth of almost ritual ways of serving it, which have survived to this day. However, now they have acquired a more practical side.

The composition of alcohol includes wormwood, which gives a bitter aftertaste and alcohol .   It serves not only as a connecting link for essential oils, but also as an excellent combustible material. In order to soften the taste of bitterness, this drink is just ignited. This is usually how melted pieces of refined sugar flow into a glass of alcohol, making it ready to drink. Burned absinthe actively releases essential oils, while losing a small amount of alcohol, and this has a positive effect on taste. And, of course, the ignition of this alcohol is a spectacular and attractive sight, which makes drinking unforgettable.

How to burn absinthe properly

Many are interested in how to properly burn absinthe in order to get maximum pleasure.  There are quite a large number of ways to set fire, and all of them are spectacular.

Czech way

1. A piece of refined dipped in alcohol.
2. A special spoon is placed on the glass, and the refined impregnated on it.
3. We set fire to the refined sugar and wait for the caramel to drain into alcohol.
4. Add ice water or cold juice and drink.

Crystal Czech

1. Pour alcohol into the glass.
2. We set fire and wait until it burns out.
3. Blow out the fire.
4. We drink in one gulp, without washing down and without having a bite.

Czech harsh

1. Set a spoon on the edge of the glass.
2. Put a piece of sugar on a spoon.
3. Pour 50 ml of alcohol into a separate glass and pour a few drops on sugar.
4. We set fire and wait until it goes out.
5. Once again, pour a few drops on the sugar so that it gradually leaches out and settles at the bottom.
6. We set fire again and wait.
7. Repeat the steps until the alcohol in the glass ends or the sugar dissolves.
8. To drink in small sips.

Russian way

1. Make sugar syrup separately.
2. Dilute absinthe in the proportion that suits you.
3. Set it on fire and let it burn.
4. Cover with a second glass to extinguish the flame.
5. Alcohol is quickly poured into a second glass. The first is covered with a napkin and turned over.
6. They quickly drink, and under a second glass they stick a straw and inhale the vapors.

Ryazan severe

1. No more than 70 ml of alcohol is poured into a glass.
2. A spoon with sugar is placed on the glass.
3. Sugar is either dipped in absinthe or watered on top of it.
4. Burn sugar and wait for it to melt.
5. Blow out the flame and chew sugar, but do not swallow.
6. After that, drink alcohol.

Citrus

1. Take a slice of orange or mandarin, peel the film covering the pulp.
2. Blend in a mixture of granulated sugar and cinnamon.
3. Pour 50 ml of absinthe into a glass and set fire.
4. With forceps we take the prepared pulp and hold it over the fire so that the sugar juice with cinnamon falls into a glass.
5. Blow out the fire and let it cool slightly.
6. We drink and snack on burnt sugar with cinnamon.

Nice

1. Pour absinthe and grenadine into a glass with a ratio of 9 to 1.
2. We set fire to the mixture and place it in a champagne glass. It turns out a drink of saturated eggplant color.
3. The pile stays in the glass all the time.
4. We blow and mix with a tube so that the taste is evenly distributed.
5. Drink slowly.

Bar

1. The glass is filled with cold absinthe by a quarter.
2. The drink is set on fire.
3. To a burning drink bring a spoon with refined sugar.
4. After the refined sugar has dissolved, the spoon is removed and the fire is extinguished.
5. Serve with a straw and drink slowly.

The main methods of use

First of all, pay attention to what is used in the filing process.. This will help to comply with all the rules to get real pleasure from drinking.

• Absinthe. The most important thing is to choose the right drink in order to get maximum spectacle and minimum consequences. It is best to purchase well-known brands of alcohol - they are tested over the years and the experience of bartenders. One should pay attention to Czech Hill’s and King of Spirits, the latter retained the original recipe from 1792. Italian is made according to an old recipe, hidden from prying eyes. Absinthe is a popular strong wormwood alcohol from Spain. French is the most popular alcohol of this series in the world. The manufacturer claims that the “Tunnel” gives heat, light and an angelic touch.

• Wine glasses. A special serving glass is made of thick glass, which prevents the possibility of cracks during sudden heating. The glass itself has the shape of a cone with an extension upward. The volume of a classic glass is 250 ml. In the lower part, such a container has a mark that will help you sort out the amount of alcohol being poured. If you are not principled in following the rules, you can use ordinary glasses for vodka or a glass for drinking.
• Absinthe spoon is used when mixing alcohol and sugar.to relieve excessive bitterness, which may interfere with the drink. It is made of silver-plated metal by casting. Perform a spoon in the form of a flat spatula with recesses for the edges of the glass. Holes on a spoon can take many forms: stars, crosses, circles, flowers.

Absinthe is. E go served before meals and do not snack. However, if you serve alcohol as the main drink, then you can bite with bitter chocolate, slices of orange, mandarin or lemon, as well as a variety of seafood.

Does absinthe always burn or not?

It all depends on which way of drinking you choose yourself. There are several ways to consume this drink.

• Classic way. On a glass of alcohol put a spoon with a piece of sugar, which is pre-poured with cold water until the alcohol becomes cloudy.

• Fiery way.  Unlike the classical method, here sugar is dipped in absinthe and set on fire so that drops of molten sweetness soften the taste of alcohol. This method is also the most dangerous, because the drink itself may ignite during the procedure.
• With syrup. First, sugar syrup is prepared, and then added to a glass of alcohol.

• With juice. To lower the “degree” and soften the bitterness, it is mixed with pineapple, lemon or orange juice, sometimes a tonic.
• Two glasses. A glass of alcohol is placed inside a large glass. Then, water is poured into the same glass until liquids flow into a large glass.
• Undiluted. Before serving, it is cooled to zero, because it is at this temperature that you can drink it undiluted. Served in small glasses no more than 30 ml at a time.

To diversify the party and make it unforgettable, the replacement of standard alcoholic drinks with original cocktails can help. About a hundred years ago, cocktails were used as dessert alcohol and were mostly sweet. They were used to get unforgettable emotions, arouse appetite and relaxation.

However, over the entire existence of traditional cocktails, they began to annoy many. This feature forces barmen from all over the world to come up with new combinations of ingredients. Now at the peak of popularity, burning cocktails can turn any gatherings with friends into an unforgettable show. With their help, you can not only relax, but also tickle your nerves.

Making drinks with a twinkle

Thanks to the creation of this category of cocktails, bartenders from around the world are obliged to Jerry Thomas, nicknamed "Professor." Few people know about him, however, thanks to his efforts, the world saw the very concept of alcohol, which should be set on fire before drinking. He himself did not create most of the cocktails from this category, but he put in an enormous amount of effort to popularize them, made an unbearable contribution to the popularization of the cocktail culture of the world. Last minute cocktails have become a really new phenomenon and laid the foundation for the bartender's current called flaring. It is based on bright work with fire.

Rules for working with cocktails

Just before proceeding to the process of describing recipes for popular fire cocktails, you should carefully familiarize yourself with the basic rules of work. Remember that fire is a dangerous element. Only specially trained bartenders can cope with it. At home, you can create lasting cocktails, but you should be careful.

It will be preferable if you begin to enjoy a similar show in slightly darkened rooms in the circle of relatives and friends. Remember that cocktails with a twinkle are dangerous not only to make, but even to drink. In this case, it is extremely important to carefully observe the safety rules:

• Use thick glass glasses and preheat them before making cocktails.
• Open fire should not be used to heat the surface of glasses, because the material may slightly fade and lose its attractive appearance.
• Alcoholic drink should be set on fire in a separate spoon, and then pour it into a cocktail.
• Any bar where you can order last-minute cocktails must have the appropriate permission and license.
• Do not bend close to a burning cocktail, because the flame can quickly spread through the stripes, clothes.
• Keep cocktails away from other alcohol (the latter should be stored in unopened bottles).
• Do not add strong drinks to the composition after it has already been set on fire.
• Be sure to extinguish the flame before drinking, for example, use a saucer.

The burning process does not really affect the taste of the final drink, however, many believe that they become a little nicer and softer in taste. If you have firmly decided that you can make such alcohol, carefully read the following recipes.

"Fantasy"

For the cooking procedure we will need:

• 25 g of liquor.
• 60 g of cognac.
• 10 g of powder.
• 5 g of granulated sugar.
• Lemon.

Take a glass specially designed for grog and slightly heat it. Pour powdered sugar into it and pour all the alcohol. Pour boiling water, previously putting in a container a small slice of lemon. Place a teaspoon with a small piece of sugar on a glass and pour cognac on it. Light a spoon and serve a drink.

"B-52"

It is required to take 20 ml of the following liquors:

• Kahlua cafe.

Pour into a small glass all these liquors in the same order, preventing them from mixing. We set fire and enjoy the show!

"B-53"

The cocktail is completely similar in preparation with the previous option.

However, tequila should be added instead of Cointreau. It is this variation that many patrons of bars like.

"Burning Punch"

The drink is designed for 6-8 people, i.e. Suitable for a company of friends. Of the ingredients required:

• 1 liter of tea (necessarily strong).
• Sugar head.
• A small bottle of rum (also strong).
• Dry white wine - 2 bottles.
• One citrus (you need their juice).

We make strong tea. We put the tongs with the sugar head on the pot and saturate it with rum. Never pour rum from a bottle, but use a special pouring spoon. We set it on fire and wait until the sugar completely drains into the container. Rum should be added periodically. We heat all the wine together with tea and lemon juice with orange. In this case, do not bring to a boil - watch this carefully. Pour the mixture into the pot and mix. The drink is served hot.

Extreme cocktail

It is required to take 2 glasses - shot for martini. Of the ingredients you need 20 ml of each alcohol:

• Bailey’s Irish Cream.
• Blue Curacao.
• Sambuca.

In a martini glass, pour sambuca and then the whole rum. Cream and “Blue Curacao” layers are added to the shot. We set fire to rum with sambuca and lower the cocktail tube to the bottom. Try to drink the first half of the glass as quickly as possible. Next, the contents are poured from the shot and the cocktail is drank.

Lamborghini

The original name will delight all connoisseurs of delicious cocktails. To prepare it, you need a lot of ingredients:

• Cognac.
• Galliano liquor.
• Sambuca.
• Syrup "Grenadine".

Each element must be taken in equal parts - 50 ml. Pour layers in a large enough glass. The first is liquor, followed by the sambuca, and after them we pour cognac. Next, add syrup and complete the composition of the rum. We set fire and enjoy the original taste!

CLAB

The "Club" includes:

• Absinthe - 40 g.
• Kizlyar cognac 3 * - 20 g.
• Cold Cappuccino - 50 g.
• Sugar.

We place in a specialized cup of cappuccino, in brandy glass - absinthe. On the side of the glass we lay on a glass of wine glass and add a pinch of sugar into it. We burn absinthe. Scroll the wine glass so that the sugar gradually melts and the glass does not burst. When the absinthe is heated, it should be poured into a glass of cappuccino in this form. Close the glass tightly so that the fire goes out.

"Black Pearl"

It is required:

• Ripe Banana Syrup - 10 ml.
• Cream 33% - 20 ml.
• Black rum - 30 ml.

To receive an exclusive drink, it is necessary to pour the syrup chosen by us, cream with rum, in a standard shot one by one. We set fire to rum and drink a cocktail through a straw.

In fact, there are a lot of popular burning cocktails. You can try several of them and find your favorite. The main thing is to drink strong drinks in moderation and with pleasure!

The cocktails that set fire will turn any party into an unforgettable pyrotechnic show. They look especially impressive at night against the background of the starry sky.

However, it is better to entrust this matter to professional bartenders who know how to safely handle fire and strong alcoholic drinks.

What alcoholic beverages burn

They came up with a long time to set fire to alcohol. In the century before last, the quality of alcohol was defined in this way: if it burns, then it is undiluted. It is believed that due to this, the inscription “proof” appeared on the bottles - it was proved. Quality whiskey burned with an even blue flame.

Burning cocktails are made from the following ingredients:

• alcohol;
• whiskey;
• tequila;
• gin;

Not everyone knows that it is not the liquid itself that burns, but the vapors of alcohol that it releases. Therefore, it is important not only the strength of the drink, but also its temperature, as well as external conditions. Heated product in warm weather is easier to ignite than chilled liquid in the cold. The action is best done with a piezo lighter because it emits a lot of heat.

You can set fire to any product with a strength above 30% vol. 40-degree drinks (vodka, whiskey, rum, tequila) burn well with an even blue flame. If you use Bacardi 151 rum as fuel, you can arrange a spectacular fire show. Its proof is 151, which corresponds to 75.5% vol.

Absinthe burns beautifully - not only because of the strength, but also due to the content of various impurities. Drinks with an alcohol content of about 30% are ignited worse, and the flame will not be so beautiful. Theoretically, you can set fire to a strong one if you preheat it, but it is unlikely that this will turn out to be a spectacular sight.

Burning alcohol can be not only decorative, but also practical. If the liquid burns with a green flame, it means the product contains toxic methyl alcohol. The use of such a drink is dangerous to health and life.

Rules for the preparation and use of burning cocktails

Any use of open flame constitutes an increased fire hazard. Therefore, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and other entertainment venues that make lasting cocktails must have an appropriate permit and license. Only professional bartenders who have the proper qualifications can make a drink.

For the preparation of burning cocktails using glasses of thick glass. Previously, they should be carefully warmed up, but not over an open fire. Otherwise, the dishes will fade and lose their marketable appearance. The drink is never set on fire in the glass itself. First, this is done in a teaspoon, and then its contents are carefully poured into the dishes. If everything is done correctly, the fire will spread to the whole glass.

Safety measures apply not only to the preparation, but also to the use of a burning cocktail. The flame must be extinguished before drinking. This is done, for example, with a saucer or a damp cloth, which quickly and tightly cover the glass. The fire will immediately go out due to lack of oxygen. Then let the dishes cool slightly.

Other liquids should not be added to the cocktail if it is already set on fire. The glass is recommended to be kept away from other alcohol, which should be contained only in closed bottles, and flammable objects. Open flames spread extremely fast. Especially should protect your face, hair, clothing.

Shot recipes with a twinkle

Jerry Thomas, nicknamed Professor, is considered the inventor of burning cocktails. He turned cooking and serving with a twinkle into art. Work with open fire today is an integral element of flirting and is considered aerobatics among bartenders.

In his book, Thomas cited more than 200 recipes for various cocktails, of which dozens are dedicated to burning alcohol.

The following burning alcoholic beverages are most in demand:

1.   . This name is strongly associated with the bomber of the same name with its nuclear cargo. The cocktail is prepared in layers, carefully pouring liquid on the back of the dessert spoon. First, the Kahlua café coffee liqueur is sent to the glass, then comes the cream liqueur ““, and on top is the orange Marie Blizzard Grand Orange. All ingredients are taken in equal amounts.
2. Burning punch. Most often it is prepared for a large friendly company (6-10 people). Brew 1 liter of strong black tea. We lower the sugar head into the pot and pour it with rum from a special filling ladle. When sugar is saturated with alcohol, it must be set on fire. Slowly add rum (1 bottle) and wait until all the sugar has dissolved. Warm tea with dry white wine (2 bottles) and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange. Pour the mixture into the pot and mix.
3. Cocktail "Black Pearl". Take banana syrup (10 ml), cream with a fat content of 33% (20 ml), black rum (30 ml). All ingredients are mixed in a standard shot. Rum is poured last and set on fire.
4. Hiroshima Cocktail. It will take 2 glasses: for martini and shot. In the first, white Bakkardi is mixed in equal proportions, in the second - “Blue Curosao” and cream in layers. The contents of a martini glass are set on fire and drunk through a straw. When the glass is half empty, pour Kyurosao with cream into it.
5.   "Fantasy." Pour 10 g of powdered sugar into a heated cognac glass, pour 60 g of cognac and 25 g of liquor. Put a slice of lemon on top and pour a small amount of boiling water. In a teaspoon placed on a glass, put a piece of sugar soaked in cognac and set fire to it.

Fire has little effect on the taste of the drink. The main thing is the presentation and surroundings, making the party unforgettable.