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A clear Italian liqueur is flavored with essential oils derived from star anise or green anise, resulting in the unmistakable flavor of licorice. Ginger Bliss and the Violet Fizz: A Cocktail Lover's Guide to Mixing Drinks Using New and Classic Liqueurs. In recent years, the drink has been marketed heavily as a “razzle-dazzle” or party type of beverage.For a spicy cocktail, mix together cinnamon liqueur, sambuca, and vodka and garnish your drink with preserves or sweetened cherry. Like other anise liqueurs, it may be consumed after coffee as an ammazzacaffè or added directly to coffee in place of sugar to produce a caffè corretto. Sambuca is a colorless Italian liqueur made from star anise (though some brands are making colorful and fun flavors).

You’ll want to seek out one of the well-known brands, some of which have been experimenting with aging the spirit, such as Tekirdag’s Gold Series. For such a famed spirit, it was only in 2006 when ouzo won the origin-saving stamp of Greek authenticity.

Ouzo (Greece) Ouzo, the anise spirit of Greece, is an assertively licorice-flavored clear spirit that hangs around the 40 percent ABV range (by law, it has to be at least 37. Set the container on fire, hold it for 10-15 seconds, extinguish the flames, drink through a straw, and begin by drinking from the bottom layer.