Liqueurs

Sambuca

Liqueur
40% ABV
11 drinks

What is Sambuca?

Sambuca is a colourless aniseed-flavoured liqueur that, under EU rules, contains anise-derived distillates, at least 350 grams of sweetening products per litre and at least 38% alcohol by volume.

Is this for me?

Choose this if…

✓You want sweetness, flavour depth and lower ABV in your cocktail.
✓Features in 11 WhatDrink drinks.

Skip if…

✗You want a dry, neutral or high-ABV spirit base.

At a Glance

99 kcalCalories

40%ABV

10.5gSugar

13.5gCarbs

LiqueurType

11Recipes

Ingredient nutrition is approximate and varies by brand, recipe and preparation.

What does Sambuca taste like?

anise, liquorice, sweet, herbal, balanced structure, aromatic finish, cocktail ingredient context

Ways to use sambuca

Shots (6)Cocktails (5)

Flavour profile

AniseHerbalLicoriceSweet

Observed quantities

Observed in single-serve recipes: middle half 14.79–37.50 ml; median 29.57 ml.

In the measured recipes in this dataset — from 9 observed uses.

Scoped nutrition

Calories (per 100 ml): 330
Sugar (per 100 ml): 35 g
Carbs (per 100 ml): 45 g

Ingredient nutrition is approximate and varies by brand, recipe and preparation.

Diet compatibility

Gluten-FreeCompatible
KetoNot compatible
Low-CarbNot compatible
Low-SugarNot compatible
Veganvaries
VegetarianCompatible

Based on the listed ingredient only — a public recipe facet, not medical, allergy or coeliac advice. Specific brands and preparation can change compatibility.

Trust & methodology

Canonical ingredient/component authority assembled from reviewed identity, recipe, flavour, nutrition, diet and substitution evidence. Observed quantities and co-use patterns are descriptive, not prescriptions or universal recommendations.

Evidence last updated: 2026-07-16T03:30:39.066659+00:00

Drink counts and recipe data are based on published WhatDrink recipes. Figures may vary as new recipes are added.

Sambuca — common questions

What are the most popular cocktails made with Sambuca?: Top-ranked cocktails made with Sambuca include B-53, Brainteaser, Bumble Bee. Rankings are based on recipe quality and data completeness.