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National Anisette Day

Drink · July 2

A look at anisette, the sweet, clear anise-flavored liqueur, how it tastes, and the ways people pour it, from small glasses to a splash in espresso.

National Anisette Day falls on Friday, July 2, 2027. That is 248 days away.

Anisette is a sweet, clear liqueur flavored with anise seed. It tastes of licorice, though no licorice root is needed to get there. The flavor comes from the seed itself, which carries the same aromatic compound found in fennel and star anise.

It is a dessert drink at heart. Anisette is usually poured in small glasses after a meal, sipped slowly, and often set out alongside cookies or biscotti. Its sweetness is the point, so a little goes a long way.

In many Italian-American homes, a bottle sits near the espresso pot. A small splash stirred into a cup of coffee softens the bitterness and adds a warm anise note. Some people call this a caffè corretto, meaning a coffee "corrected" with a spirit.

Anise liqueurs have a curious habit. Add cold water or ice to some of them and the clear liquid turns cloudy, because the anise oils that stay dissolved in alcohol come out of solution when diluted. Try it with a spoonful of water in a glass and watch the change.

Anisette also turns up in baking. A little in the dough gives Italian anise cookies and pizzelle their familiar scent, and the alcohol mostly cooks off in the oven, leaving the flavor behind. Kept capped and out of the sun, a bottle lasts a long time, which is why so many families seem to have one that has been in the cupboard for ages.

Ways to celebrate

• Stir a small splash of anisette into an after-dinner espresso.
• Add a few drops of cold water to a glass and watch it cloud.
• Bake a batch of anise cookies or pizzelle.
• Pour small glasses to sip slowly with biscotti after dinner.

Dates

All national days on July 2

Also on July 2

• I Forgot Day
• World UFO Day
• Made in the USA Day

Categories: Drink days