Lazzaroni Sambuca (75cl, 38%)

An Italian sambuca produced in Saronno by Paolo Lazzaroni & Figli, from a recipe the house dates to the 1800s. It is built on star anise seeds steam-distilled for their essential oils, layered with elderflower, green anise, fennel and a whisper of rose and neroli oils over a molasses-distilled base sweetened with European beet sugar. The result is the textbook sambuca profile: thick, oily and transparent, sweet and velvety, with bold star anise over light floral and herbal notes and a long, warming, clean finish. The firm was founded in 1851. Per the tasting notes: a nose of star anise with a hint of wild berry and meringue; sweet, velvety and thick on the palate with bold star anise over light floral and herbal notes; finishing long, warming and clean.