Sambuca

Sweet and strong liquor obtained by maceration of star anise, fennel and black elder flower extracts produced originally in Civitavecchia, Italy. The date of the creation of this drink dates back to 1851 when the herbalist Luigi Manzi of Casamicciola conceived the recipe from the digestive properties. The steers in a letter handed to us the origin of the name: "I produce fine anisetta that makes well my stomach after eating [called Sambuca] because of sambuchelli, the dippers of my places [Naples and the island 's Ischia] that are on fields to quench the farmers bringing their own water and anise" (archival records of the Manzi's family reported by Vittorio Manzi Vitalini Sacconi, People, characters and traditions in Civitavecchia, Civitavecchia 1982, vol.II, pag.180). It seems to be without foundation the assumption that the name derives from the elder of the elder plant because, despite in the past popular pharmacopoeia included the elderberry wine, beverage obtained by fermentation of the fruits of the homonymous plant, it presented no analogy with anisette or with regard to the taste and smell, or even for color and for their healing properties. October 2, 1864 Giuseppe Garibaldi landed at the Port of Ischia, sick with arthritis and still suffering from injuries sustained on the Aspromonte on August 29, 1862, the day when the royal army stopped the attempt of General Garibaldi to march from Sicily on Rome to drive away Pope Pius IX. The patriot Luigi Manzi welcomed him by opening the hot springs of Family and offering him his famous digestive: the "Sambuca". In a letter written to his wife who was in Civitavecchia, he wrote: "Dearest, I had the immeasurable days ago honored with the visit of General Garibaldi, he was very cordial, despite the evils that afflict even took our little knees Cornelius and then coffee, sip of my drink which seemed to draw strength and renews a benefit untill to order a cart. Ah !....». Sambuca became really famous when it was launched internationally in 1945 by Angelo Molinari. Sambuca Manzi is the most immediate descendant of the original product designed by Luigi Manzi that is possible to find on the market today, with essentially a regional market , and Molinari Sambuca Extra is exported around the world: both brands are owned by "Molinari International Spa".