Tuaca Liqueur
Tuaca Liqueur is a 35% ABV (70 proof), 750mL Italian brandy liqueur flavoured with vanilla and Mediterranean citrus — smooth, golden-brown and built to be served ice-cold. Since Sazerac's 2017 relaunch it is made once again with imported Italian brandy, infused with Mediterranean citrus and vanilla spice. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 35% (70 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Italian brandy liqueur
- Base: Imported Italian brandy
- Flavours: Vanilla and Mediterranean citrus
- Origin: Italy (brand and brandy); recreated in Livorno in the 1930s
- Owner: Sazerac (acquired 2016; relaunched 2017)
Tuoni Plus Canepa, Bottled in Livorno
Brand legend traces the Tuaca recipe to the Italian Renaissance and a creation for Lorenzo de' Medici — a story the brand itself tells as legend. The documented history starts in 1930s Livorno, where brothers-in-law Gaetano Tuoni and Giorgio Canepa recreated and renamed it: TUACA combines their surnames, TUOni plus CAnepa, and their handwritten script still decorates the bottle. American servicemen brought bottles home from the mid-1940s, and imports to the US followed in the late 1950s. Find it among our liqueurs, browse the full spirits collection, or visit the Tuaca vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Profile: Smooth and medium-bodied, with caramel, citrus, dried fig and honey over the brandy base, and vanilla spice running through it. Finish: Warm, sweet citrus and vanilla.
How to Enjoy
Serve it the brand's way — ice-cold as a shot, with a lemon wedge as the Tuaca Lemon Drop — or warm it into a Hot Apple Pie with hot apple cider, whipped cream and cinnamon. It also mixes into a Tuscarita in place of orange liqueur.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tuaca made from? Italian brandy infused with vanilla and Mediterranean citrus, bottled at 35% ABV (70 proof) — a sweet, golden-brown brandy liqueur.
What does Tuaca mean? The name combines the surnames of its 1930s Livorno creators, Gaetano Tuoni and Giorgio Canepa: TUO plus CA.
How do you drink Tuaca? The signature serve is ice-cold, as a chilled shot, often with a lemon wedge; it also works in hot drinks such as the Hot Apple Pie with warm cider.
Chill it hard and shoot it the Livorno way — order Tuaca Liqueur online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.