Liquore Strega is an Italian herbal

liqueur A liqueur ( , ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of Liquor, 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-age ...

produced since 1860 by the Strega Alberti Benevento S.p.A. in

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) 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 Sabato (r ...

, Italy. 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 ...

. Strega is bottled at 80 proof (40% alc/vol), which is an alcohol content comparable to most hard liquors, but it has a sweetness and

viscosity Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent drag (physics), resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for e ...

typical of liqueurs. Among its approximately 70 herbal ingredients are

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

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.

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 t ...

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

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

" 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.

Strega Prize

The Premio Strega () is the most important Italian literary award. It was founded in 1947 by Guido Alberti, then owner of the company, together with his friends, the writer Maria Bellonci 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 i ...

, 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

History

Strega Prize

Awards

See also

References

External links