Ingredients
- 3 oz Vodka
- 1.5 oz White Sambuca
Instructions
Shake Ingredients:
- In a cocktail shaker filled with shaved ice, pour 3 oz of vodka and 1.5 oz of white sambuca.
Shake Vigorously:
- Shake vigorously until well chilled.
Strain and Serve:
- Strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass.
Serve:
- Serve immediately and enjoy the bold, smooth flavors of the Bucatini!
Notes
Estimated Nutrition:
Where it came from
Sambuca cocktails are uncommon outside Italy. The Bucatini is one of the few that travels. It pairs the high-proof anise sambuca with vodka to push the drink toward something stronger and drier than a sambuca neat.
Named after the Italian pasta, with the same straight-up no nonsense identity. Some bartenders pour it at room temperature and some over ice.
What it tastes like
Anise and licorice from the sambuca dominate, vodka stretches it out and stops it being too sweet. Cold from the freezer the drink reads almost minty. Warm and the anise turns into liquorice candy.
It is a sipping drink, not a quick shooter. Built short, drunk slow.
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Ingredient Spotlight
The bottles that make or break this drink.
The sambuca
- Use
- Molinari Extra or Romana White
- Why
- Anise quality varies. Cheap sambuca tastes synthetic
The vodka
- Use
- Any clean unflavoured vodka
- Skip
- Flavoured vodka, the drink loses its identity
The build
- Glass
- Rocks glass with one large ice cube
- Method
- Pour both, stir, serve
What if I don't have…
Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.
Pernod, Pastis or Ouzo all work but the drink shifts.
Cut the sambuca by 10 ml and replace with extra vodka.
Add 5 ml of simple syrup.
Gin works. Now it is closer to a Pastis martini.
Top with sparkling water. Now it is a Sambuca Highball.
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.
How strong is it?
Why coffee beans?
Can it be flamed?
Why is it named after pasta?
Garnish?
