Italian Spirits and Liqueurs: The Ultimate Guide | Pasta Evangelists (2024)

FAQs

What is the strongest Italian alcohol? ›

Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 US proof). Grappa is a protected name in the European Union.

Sambuca is similar to anisette but made from a distillation of star anise.

Campari, Aperol, Cynar and vermouth are all popular aperitivi. In contrast, digestivi are higher-alcohol liqueurs sipped after a meal to aid digestion – think limoncello, sambuca, amaro or grappa. A new breed of spirit producers are also putting Italian gin on the map.

“At the bars they would usually drink Absolut and scotch, as well as martinis dry, extra olive or dirty martinis, rum and co*ke, Bacardi, and scotch on the rocks.” These are classic drinks that all of our students learn how to make and master at American Bartenders School.

Compared to other alcoholic beverages, Sambuca stands as a liqueur with a moderate to high alcohol content. In regards to other liqueurs and spirits, Sambuca is considered more potent than most liqueurs but less strong than whiskey, vodka, and other similar alcoholic spirits.

It's often served neat, and when it has that coffee bean in the glass, it's referred to as sambuca con la mosca (“with the fly”). (Incidentally, it can also be served with three beans to represent health, happiness and prosperity, or seven beans to symbolize the seven hills of Rome.)

Galliano is sweet with vanilla-anise flavour and subtle citrus and woodsy herbal undernotes. The vanilla top note differentiates Galliano from other anise-flavoured liqueurs such as anisette, ouzo, sambuca, and pastis.

Sambuca (Italian pronunciation: [samˈbuːka]) is an Italian anise-flavoured liqueur. Its most common variety is often referred to as white sambuca to differentiate it from other varieties that are deep blue (black sambuca) or bright red (red sambuca).

What is the world's favorite Italian liqueur? ›

Disaronno Originale is the world's favourite Italian liqueur. Featuring an original taste and an unmistakable aroma Disaronno Originale is a stylish and timeless icon of the Italian Dolcevita. Disaronno is a pleasure to enjoy on the rocks as well as in its various mixed drinks.

D'Amalfi Limoncello Supreme: $44 million

He adorned its neck with three 13-carat diamonds and its body with a central 18.5-carat diamond. Inside the bottle, there's limoncello, a traditional lemon-flavored liqueur infused with lemon peels from the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Limoncello, the lemon zest-infused liqueur of the southern Italian coast, does double duty. It's fairly common to see it enjoyed as an aperitivo with some prosecco or sparkling water as a spritz, but it's most classically considered an after-dinner drink.

Sweet: These liquori have a decidedly sweet taste and aroma. Examples from the sweet category would be Frangelico, Sambuca, and Amaretto. Semi-sweet: Campari, Cynar, Strega, and Limoncello are popular Italian semi-sweet liquori. These drinks find a middle ground between bitter and sweet.

1° Gocce imperiali (imperial drops), 90%vol. produced by monks, for example at the chartreuse of Pavia. It is yellow because it contains saffran, and it tastes anise. Also known as Tintura imperiale.

It should come as no surprise that wine is one of the most popular Italian drinks. Both the production and consumption of wine play an important role in Italian history and culture.

At the top of our list is Spirytus Rektyfikowany, a Polish spirit boasting an eye-watering 96% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Amarone. Amarone is a potent and concentrated dry red wine made with dried grapes in Italy's Veneto region. Made from native Italian grapes, Amarone is a wine that dazzles and impresses.