Liquore Strega is an Italian herbal

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

produced since 1860 by the S. A. Distilleria Liquore Strega in

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its distinctive yellow color comes from the presence of

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

. Strega is bottled at 80 proof (40%

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

), which is an alcohol content comparable to most

hard liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard l ...

s, but it has a sweetness and

viscosity The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. Viscosity quantifies the inte ...

typical of liqueurs. Among its approximately 70 herbal ingredients are

mint MiNT is Now TOS (MiNT) is a free software alternative operating system kernel for the Atari ST system and its successors. It is a multi-tasking alternative to TOS and MagiC. Together with the free system components fVDI device drivers, XaA ...

and

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

, giving it a complex flavor with minty and coniferous notes. Strega is considered a digestif. It is used for flavoring '' torta caprese'', a type of cake. Torroncino Strega

History

Strega was developed in 1860 by the father–son team of Carmine Vincenzo Alberti and Giuseppe Alberti. The company experienced growth until Giuseppe Alberti's death in 1894. Alberti's four sons Ugo, Vincenzo, Francesco and Luigi took control. The company received a

royal warrant of appointment Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The royal warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the issuer of ...

to the Italian King. Strega became well known for its colourful and artistic advertising. One poster was designed in 1906 by in the art nouveau style. ''Strega'' is the Italian word for "

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

" and since legends of witchcraft at Benevento date back to the time of the Lombard invasion, it was a natural choice of name for the liqueur.

Recipe

The production process begins with the milling of about 70 herbs and spices, characterized by special aromatic properties, imported from all over the world and selected with great skill. Among them we can mention: the cinnamon of Ceylon, the Iride Fiorentino, the juniper of the Italian Apennines, the mint of Sannio, which grows spontaneously along the rivers of the region. Its characteristic yellow color comes from the addition of the precious saffron to the distillate of aromatic herbs. The liqueur Strega, is aged for a long time in oak tanks in order to assimilate an expressive breadth and elegance of the bouquet as an expression of many different aromas originating a liqueur obtained by distillation of the aromatic component, from the alcohol content of 40% vol. It is only after completion of this maturation that the liqueur is bottled and distributed throughout the world.

Strega Prize

The

Premio Strega The Strega Prize ( it, Premio Strega ) is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality and first published ...

(Strega Prize) is the most important Italian literary award. It was founded in 1947 by

Guido Alberti Guido Alberti (20 April 1909 Birth name: Guido Renato Vittorio Alberti. – 3 August 1996) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1963 and 1993. Selected filmography * ''Wild Love'' (1956) - Sor Alberto (uncredited) * ...

, then owner of the company, together with his friends the writer

Maria Bellonci Maria Villavecchia Bellonci (30 November 1902 – 13 May 1986) was an Italian writer, historian and journalist, known especially for her biography of Lucrezia Borgia. She and Guido Alberti established the Strega Prize in 1947. Biography Bellonc ...

and her husband Goffredo. Its origins lie with a group of post-World War II Italian writers, intellectuals and artists known as the “Sunday Friends” (“Amici della Domenica”). Goffredo and Maria Bellonci hosted the Sunday Friends at their home with the intention of stimulating an active debate in Italian cultural life. In 1947, Bellonci set up a literary prize for the best work of prose fiction, to be decided upon by the votes of the Sunday Friends. The name of the Prize came from the company that produces Strega liqueur, which offered the money for the prize.

Awards

The

San Francisco World Spirits Competition The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings inv ...

, one of several international

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

organizations, has evaluated Strega liqueur on three occasions since 2005. The ratings organization gave the spirit gold medals in 2005 and 2011 and a silver medal in 2008.

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.strega.it Italian liqueurs Herbal liqueurs Italian Royal Warrant holders