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Espresso with Sambuca

The classic Italian after-dinner pick-me-up: a hot shot of espresso spiked with anise-sweet sambuca, with a few coffee beans floated on top as a nod to con la mosca.

2 min · Makes 1

Equal parts hot espresso and clear sambuca, stirred together: the coffee's bitterness takes the edge off the anise sweetness, and the heat lifts the aroma. The choice that matters is timing, coffee first and sambuca straight after, so the glass is still hot when it reaches you. The three beans are there for more than looks: chew one at the end, the way it is done with sambuca served neat.

Prep
2 min
Rest
3 min
Serves
1
Difficulty
Easy

Espresso with Sambuca

Prep 2 min · Rest 3 min · Serves 1 · Difficulty Easy

Method

  1. Pull a fresh, hot single shot of espresso and pour it into a small heatproof glass or espresso cup.

  2. Add the sambuca and give it a gentle stir to combine.

  3. Float three whole coffee beans on top for the traditional con la mosca garnish.

  4. Serve right away while it's hot, sipping slowly as a digestivo.

The story behind Espresso with Sambuca

This drink belongs to the Italian tradition of the ammazzacaffè (literally "coffee killer"), the small shot of liquor taken after coffee to round off a meal and help digestion. Pairing espresso with sambuca, the anise liqueur most associated with central Italy and Rome, makes it closer to a caffè corretto than to sambuca on its own. The three floating coffee beans are a nod to con la mosca ("with the fly"), the Roman way of serving sambuca neat with beans rather than mixed into coffee; folklore holds that the beans, always an odd number, stand for health, happiness, and prosperity.

Espresso with Sambuca

Where it comes from

Sambuca was first sold commercially in Civitavecchia, the port north of Rome, in the late 19th century, and has closed Italian meals ever since. It is traditionally served con la mosca, with coffee beans floating in the glass, or poured straight into the espresso as a correction.

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