In the Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, and Campania regions, these sweet wild berries are infused into a neutral spirit for about a month, lending fragrant strawberry flavors. Jena Ritter, marketing manager for Sazerac, makes a dessert drink combining creme de menthe, Ojen, and soda. When used in cocktails, it can cool you down on a hot day, and it works as a palate cleanser in between courses of a big meal.

Fennel Will Be Your New Favorite Cocktail Ingredient

My wife and I were given a home made licorice liqueur at a restaurant in Salerno, Italy, a few years ago, along with fennel, melon, and limoncello to try. In addition to liqueur wines and red wines, which are now part of the island’s centuries-old tradition and are known throughout the world for the quality of the vines and inimitable flavor, there are many liqueurs (sugars and bitters) that have made some of Sicily’s most renowned raw materials, from Sicilian lemons to prickly pears, more appreciated. It will mellow out a bit if you let it sit a few days but it’s pretty much good to go from the point you combine the syrup. The wild fennel is a wild plant, typical of the Mediterranean and is recognizable for its stems, green and branched, which can reach up to two meters in height.

Named after the southern French term for lazy, the drink became hugely popular in its home city as the locals’ favourite long drink.

Wild Fennel Liqueur: Fragrant and Digestif - La Cucina Italiana

We reached out to some of our favorite bars across the country to see how they are using fennel in cocktails, and each one is balanced, beautiful, and delicious. My husband had been lucky enough to be able to test finocchietto at some friends, but we were never able to purchase any. Easy to prepare because it involves only three ingredients (fresh rose petals, alcohol and sugar), thanks to its low alcohol content and delicate flavor, it can be enjoyed as a digestive at the end of any meal.The bees of Sortino produce a honey known since ancient times and also mentioned by Varone, Ovid, and Virgil, in a beautiful reserve in eastern Sicily: Pantalica.

Homemade wild fennel liqueur recipe (finocchietto digestif)

The list is so long that in this article we will mention only a few of them, the best and the most well-known. My preference for stirred cocktail garnish is almost invariably a twist of citrus, but here I wanted to reach for the maritime salinity of Kalamata olives to highlight the depths of the fennel flavors. With their intense and charming color and fragrance, all the Sardinian digestives are pure instants of contemplation and enjoyment led by their unique flavors. I was very curious and sampled some of the first batch and it was great and can’t wait to see how much better it will be sitting for the recommended 3 months. This custom comes, as is almost always the case with the island’s food and wine tradition, from the Arabs themselves.It is traditionally an aperitif prepared by adding water and then ice, and is often accompanied by mezze. We love staying at Kimpton properties because their food and beverage programs are always as thoughtful as the hotels’ design details. If Ojen doesn't have the same national, or even regional, recognition as the Sazerac, it's partly because, for years, it was in very short supply. Otherwise you can try to flick it out of the bottle when it’s concentrated at the top, but you risk spraying out good liqueur that way, too.

Anise flavoured drinks | French liqueurs | French Waterways

Just to name one, Limoncello, which is immediately associated with the land of Sicily, home of the juiciest and most beautiful lemons in the world. We can say that it is more of a liqueur cream and that it is perfect for everyone, even those who do not like stronger liqueurs and bitters. During this time the fennel will start to go brown, but that's ok as long as you don't let it turn gross.We are talking about rosolio, a liqueur of ancient origin that involves the use of fresh rose petals.