Sambuca

This is another anise flavored drink but try it "con mosca."  That is Italian for with fly.  They float coffee beans on top.  It is different.

An Italian friend finally had me try this liqueur the authentic way: with some coffee beans. The beans were a nice distraction from the overpowering taste of licorice, but I still can't say that I am looking forward to another drink.

Not bad if a tad overrated. . .a decent shot that works once in awhile. . .

I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy an occasional shot. Definately something of an acquired taste.

Horrible, awful, vile stuff. Relatively expensive as a shot at a bar, and definitely not worth it. My roommate decided to buy a round of shots on my birthday, and I just wanted something simple like Jim Beam. But he insisted that he had something much better in mind, and since he was buying it was going to be Sambuca. It tastes like black liccorice, only worse. Steer clear of this poor excuse for alcohol.

To enjoy Sambuca, you have to like an anise (or licorice) taste. If you like that taste, as I do, it's wonderful stuff. My favorite liqueur by far. The best of the brands is Romana Sambuca Liquore Classico, about $20-22, in the blue and silver label. I've tried many brands of sambuca throughout the years, and that brand is tops in my book. Has a complexity of different flavors that others don't; some of the others are just syrupy. So don't give up on sambuca until you've tried the Romana. If you don't like an anise flavor, as twansalem below doesn't, it's not for you.