White Sambuca

Sambuca is an anise flavoured Italian liqueur, it is a colourless liqueur in pure form but there are Black Sambuca ( deep blue colour ) or Red Sambuca ( bright red in colour ), thus the colourless liqueur is distinguised as White Sambuca.

Sambuca is a minimum of 38% Alcohol by Volume, and is created by adding essential oils of star enise, or less commonly green anise, elderflower, liquorice and other herbs as per recipe of the producer, to pure alcohol and a concentrated solution of sugar.

Sambuca is served neat, on the rocks or with water. In Italian tradition, Sambuca may be consumed after coffee as an Ammazzacaffè, which is a small glass of liqueur usually consumed after coffee to dull its taste or the caffeine effect. It is a common Italian custom, especially after a generous festive meal.

Note: If a bottle of Sambuca is not what you are looking to buy, get some Anise Oil ( Green Anise ) and Anise Extract ( Star Anise ) and some Licorice Root Sticks and steep them in a Neutral Spirit like Vodka for a few days and follow available home made Sambuca recipes to create your own Sambuca for party days.

Ouzo Anise Liqueur

Anise flavoured spirits or liqueurs had been in use for ages, but anise flavoured spirits gained popularity post the initial ban on Absinthe, the anise, fennel and wormwood derived spirit that has the notoriety of being a highly alcoholic spirit psychoactive and hallucinegenic drug, that was was banned for a while.

The most popular anise based or anise flavoured spirits are Absinthe, Anisette, Arak, Galliano, Pernod Fils, Ouzo, Pastis and many more.

Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey

American's don't need to be lectured on Bourbon, but still, let's put it in record like all other spirits. A Bourbon in American spirit is a barrel-aged distilled liquor made primarily from corn. The name might have been derived from the French Bourbon dynasty, or from Bourbon County in Kentucky, or Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both named after the French Dynasty.

Technically, most whiskey made in America are legally classified as Bourbon, although Bourbon is in spirit a Southern Whiskey with special connection to Kentucky. Note than although Tennessee Whiskey is classified as Bourbon, Tennessee distilleries do not prefer their whiskey to be unique and referred to as Tennessee Whiskey only.

Distilling came to Kentucky in the late 18rth Century with the Scots, Scot-Irish and other settlers including English, Welsh, German and French, and they brought with them their distilling techniques and ageing processes in charred oak barrels. The charring is what gives the Bourbon the brownish colour and distinctive taste.

To be a legal Bourbon, a whiskey has to meet the following criteria

Produced in the United States and Territories (Puerto Rico) and the District of Columbia
Made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn
Aged in new, charred oak containers
Distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume)
Entered into the container for aging at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume)
Bottled (like other whiskeys) at 80 proof or more (40% alcohol by volume)