From nutty nocino to anise-tinged sambuca, Italy has long enjoyed a rich collection of liqueurs, turning local ingredients into pleasing after-dinner sips. Italians like to be at the table for as long as possible after the meal, enjoying an espresso or a digestivo. It’s part of Italian dining culture.
Yet, outside of Italy, it can be a little confusing to decipher what’s in those many storied bottles or how to serve them. Here’s our cheat sheet. While they can be easily enjoyed on their own, Italy’s liqueurs also are versatile components for co*cktails, so you’ll find super-simple drinks suggestions, too.
Winding down a meal with one of these liqueurs reveals much about the Italian approach to life. Feast with an Italian, and you’ll learn that they’ve figured out the secret to really enjoying life. So, slow down and linger over some liqueurs with us for some "la bella vita!"
Maraschino
REGION: VENETO
What it is: To understand maraschino, made from sour marasca cherries, it helps to know that Croatia—where these cherries grow in abundance, just across the Adriatic Sea—was previously part of Italy. It’s a confusing liqueur—intense rather than strictly sweet, and not tasting much like cherries, since it’s distilled from the fruit (and pits and leaves) rather than infused with it, which yields a more neutral flavor. Though it may be enjoyed straight as a digestivo, the liqueur finds its way on to menus as a crucial ingredient in a number of classic co*cktails, from the Hemingway Daiquiri to the Last Word.
Pour It
This clear liqueur is bracing and lightly sweet.
Mix It
Hemingway Daiquiri
Add 2 ounces white rum, 1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur, 3/4 ounce lime juice and 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Amaretto
REGION: LOMBARDY
What it is: Though the flavor is redolent of almond, the actual agent is apricot pits, which are often combined with sugar and essential oils. According to legend, in 1525, Bernardino Luini, a student of famed artist Leonardo da Vinci, was commissioned to paint a fresco of the Madonna of the Miracles in Saronno. The young woman selected to model for the image thanked Luini with a flask of homemade amaretto. Today, the liqueur is often mixed into drinks like the amaretto sour. It’s fun to play with in co*cktails or pour it over ice cream at the end of a meal.
Pour It
Sweet, almond cookie-like flavor accented with vanilla and orange.
Mix It
The Godfather
Stir 1 1/2 ounces each Amaretto and Scotch over ice. Garnish with an orange peel or add a couple of dashes of aromatic bitters.
Nocino
REGION: EMILIA-ROMAGNA
What it is: Nocino is a more bitter digestivo made from not-fully-ripened green walnuts, not to be confused with its sweeter cousin nocello. Of note, nocino also has ties to when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity under Emperor Constantine. Traditionally, the green walnuts are harvested on June 24th (St. John’s Day, celebrating John the Baptist), then infused in a neutral spirit for several months and consumed throughout the holiday season. In addition to Italian-made versions, a growing number of American distilleries make nocino using local green walnuts. While the liqueur is an easy sipper neat or over ice, its richness pairs beautifully with dark spirits.
Pour It
Herbaceous and nutty, accented with plenty of baking spice.
Mix It
Black Walnut Manhattan
Stir 2 ounces rye whiskey, 1 part amaro and 1/2 ounce nocino with ice, then strain into a coupe glass.
Fernet
REGION: MILAN
What it is: Typically, fernet is dark hued and bittersweet (often more aggressively bitter than sweet), flavored with an array of botanicals and bittering agents. Branca is made with 27 different botanicals,” including gentian root, chamomile, rhubarb, bitter orange and saffron. However, menta was popularized by opera singer Maria Callas, who claimed the peppermint-infused bitter over crushed ice helped her performance. In addition to Italian-made fernets, keep an eye out for the growing range of American-made versions.
Pour It
The mintier, milder version of super-bitter fernet.
Mix It
Menta Shakerato
In a co*cktail shaker, combine 3 ounces fernet menta with plenty of ice. Shake well, then strain into a coupe glass.
Sambuca
REGION: ROME/LE MARCHE (CENTRAL ITALY)
What it is: Sambuca is a clear liqueur made specifically from star anise and green aniseed and tends to have a relatively high sugar content (by comparison, anisette includes a wider range of anise liqueurs, and tends to be less sweet). It may be made with other flavorings, too, such as fennel, citrus peel or cinnamon. Think of Rome’s history as a port city—with ships bringing in spices and exotic ingredients from around the world—as the gateway to sambuca’s licorice-like flavoring. Caffè corretto (espresso “corrected” with sambuca) is a classic serve. An Italian favorite is a con la mosca - a shot of samubca with one coffee bean. The aromatics of that single bean and the anise are guaranteed to make you smile every time you take a sip.
Pour It
Expect a mild, candy-like black licorice flavor.
Mix It
Caffè Corretto
Pour 1/2 ounce sambuca into a shot of espresso. Make it cold (and less traditional): stir 1/2 ounce sambuca with 2 ounces cold-brew coffee, 1 ounce cream, and ice; garnish with orange peel.
