Meletti Sambuca Liqueur
Meletti Sambuca Liqueur is the Meletti family's sambuca: an anise liqueur flavored with the elderflower bush - Sambucus, the plant that gives sambuca its name - and bottled at a full 42% ABV (84 proof). An extended aging step before bottling gives it a richer body than most sambucas, with a floral character under the licorice. It stands with the Romana Sambuca in our liqueurs collection.
- Style: Sambuca (anise and elderflower liqueur)
- Key botanicals: Anise, elderflower (Sambucus)
- Method: Extended aging before bottling for a richer body
- Origin: Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche, Italy
- ABV: 42% (84 proof)
- Size: 750mL
The Story
Ditta Silvio Meletti has made liqueurs in Ascoli Piceno, in Italy's Le Marche region on the Adriatic coast, since 1870 - five generations of the same family, working from Silvio Meletti's original recipes and his bain-marie still, a slow, gentle distillation he developed to protect delicate aromatics. Most ingredients still come from local Le Marche producers who grow exclusively for the house.
A house built on anise knows sambuca. The best anise plants are cultivated from the clay soil of Ascoli Piceno, and Meletti's generations of anise expertise - the same hands behind the famous Anisetta - go into this stronger, richer bottling, rested longer than the competition's before it ever reaches the bottle.
Tasting Notes
Licorice, sharp aniseed and elderflower. The palate is full and punchy - richer in body than anisette, with the elderflower lending a floral lift under the anise - and the finish is long, warm and clean.
How to Enjoy
Serve it the classic way, con la mosca: neat with three coffee beans floated in the glass, chewed as you sip. It is equally good over ice, flamed briefly for drama, or poured into espresso. For the family's gentler anise pour, try the Meletti Anisette.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "con la mosca" mean?
"With the fly" - the Italian custom of floating three coffee beans in the sambuca, said to bring health, happiness and prosperity. You chew the beans while sipping.
Why is Meletti Sambuca richer than others?
An extended aging step before bottling builds body, and the house's Le Marche anise is exceptionally aromatic. At 42% ABV it is also bottled at full strength.
What is sambuca made from?
Anise and elderflower - the Sambucus bush the drink is named for.
Meletti Sambuca Liqueur (750mL) is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, with fast, secure shipping on every order.