Anís Spain’s Liquid Licorice


One of the most popular liquors here in Spain is Anís

By the way?that?s pronounced, ?ah-NEES.? Not ?AY-nis.?

Anís a clear, stong liquor?ranging from 80 to 90 proof?that is flavored with anise seed. It?s licorice-like profile is similar to that of Ouzo in Greece or Sambuca and Anisette in Italy.

But unlike the Greeks and Italians, Spaniards don?t drink Anís as an aperitif. Rather, they drink it as a digestif after a good meal.

And, yes, sometimes that good meal is breakfast.

[Author’s Note: If Greeks and Italians serve it before the meal and Spaniards serve it after the meal, then surely?there must be some Mediterranean country that serves anise-flavored liquor as the meal itself. If so, then book me two tickets!]

The method for drinking Anís in Spain is simple enough. It is typically served on the rocks in a small snifter?with the water produced by the melting ice cubes turning the liquid from clear to milky-white.

Anís  is also, occasionally, used as a component in cocktails, the most common being the disturbingly popular ?Sol y Sombra.

Anís comes in two varieties: dry and sweet. Sweet Anís is, based on my observations over the past seven years, preferred by Spaniards. It is also, based on my observations over the past seven years, likely to cause the more excruciating hangover.

The more popular brands here are Anís  de Chinch (produced near Madrid) and Anís de Mono (produced near Barcelona); the latter of which is an inferior product, but has a much nicer label.



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August 23rd, 2006
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
MrBaliHai
Posted on:
August 27, 2006 at 5:41 am

I’ve had a number of digestifs during my visits to Spain. They really are a wonderful way to end a meal.

My favorite had a deep-green tint to it, like absinthe, and was served in an iced bottle. I had it at El Buey in Madrid, but unfortunately, I can’t remember the brand name.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Sal DeTraglia
Posted on:
August 29, 2006 at 7:34 am

Hey BaliHai:

Thanks for your comment.

I, too, have eaten at El Buey. However…I am struggling to identify the green digestif that you had. Perhaps you can describe the taste to me. Was it liquorice-like? Sweet? Bitter?

Sometimes it seems that there are more digestifs in Spain than there are E-coli in the human digestive tract.

Sal

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
MrBaliHai
Posted on:
September 1, 2006 at 4:57 am

Sal, it had a sweet, very smooth anise flavor. I’ll e-mail the friend I went to El Buey with to see if he can remember the name. I checked El Buey’s website, but they don’t include digestifs on their wine/liquor menu.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
MrBaliHai
Posted on:
September 2, 2006 at 12:28 pm

Hey, Sal. My friend couldn’t remember the brand name of the digestif, but he told me that it was an “orujo de hierbas” from Asturias, probably “Monasterio de Corias”.

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Sal DeTraglia
Posted on:
September 2, 2006 at 10:13 pm

Ah! “Orujo de hierbas” is a grappa-type liquor flavored with herbs. It’s a very popular digestif in Spain; although most versions I’ve seen were yellow.

For awhile there, I was wondering if you’re mystery digistif might’ve been absinthe.

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
MrBaliHai
Posted on:
September 4, 2006 at 3:46 am

This was sweet, so it was definitely not absinthe, which is extremely bitter.