What Can You Substitute for Strega Liqueur
If you are a staunch lover of Italian liqueur, you’d probably had a taste of Strega liqueur (Liquore Strega), which has been known for centuries as one of the strongest and perfectly distilled Italian liqueur, very similar to Amaro.
Although commonly referred to as the “witches liqueur” based on its origin, Strega liqueur can best be served on its own, on the rocks or in a cocktail just the way your taste buds may want to explore this aromatic Italian blend.
Just a quick reminder; Strega Liqueur is an herbal Italian alcoholic liqueur that has a distinctive bright yellow color with a sweetened flavor. Strega’s recipe cut across about 70 herbs of which some include the popular juniper berries, mint and saffron.
But just in case you need a change of taste and then you are looking for something a bit different in taste and botanical combinations but still within the same hierarchy in quality as Strega, Galliano will definitely be the perfect Strega substitute you should go for with some good reasons as we shall see in a tick.
Strega Substitute: Galliano
Just like Strega, Galliano is an Italian liqueur with similar bright yellow colour as Strega. However, unlike Strega, Galliano is a medieval elixir alcoholic liqueur that is distilled with about 40 botanicals such as star anise, vanilla as well as other berries, herbs, plants, barks, flower seeds, spices and roots.
Considering the large number of herbs used in the production of Galliano, this Italian liqueur comes with a complex flavor, which makes it sweeter than Strega with also a slight reduction in its alcohol content.
Just like other Italian liqueur such as the famous Strega, Galliano is usually drunk as a digestif, and it can also be used together with a couple of cakes and desserts recipes or simply served with ice.
However, despite being a good digestif and having a permanent spot as a recipe for desserts and cakes, Galliano can also be used in cocktails of which the Harvey Wallbanger and Screwdriver are typical examples.
Types of Galliano
- Galliano Autentico
The Galliano Autentico is a perfect blend of exotic Mediterranean botanicals including caraway seeds, juniper berries, sandalwood, cloves cardamom, cinnamon, sage, star anise, mint, thyme, Madagascar vanilla and lavender, which are all sourced, blended and distilled in their original and natural form.
However, the nitty-gritty behind what the final recipe of the Gallliano Autentico liqueur is made up of still remains a top secret.
Galliano Autentico Taste
Despite the high numbers of botanicals mixed in this famous Italian liqueur, the Galliano Autentico liqueur has a prominent aroma and taste of peppermint and star anise. However, beside the dominant taste of anise and peppermint, Galliano Autentico also gives a smooth taste of other fresh herbs including ginger, citrus, cinnamon, and nutmeg. After a good time with a glass of Galliano Autentico, a lingering taste of a refreshing peppermint, spice and vanilla still remains.
Although not a coffee liqueur, Galliano Espresso is brewed to give a very strong and intense coffee flavor as though it is a true espresso. Unlike Galliano Autentico, Galliano Expresso is made from a fine combination of two varieties of well-roasted coffee beans; Robusta beans (45%) sourced from Kenya and India and Arabica beans (55%) sourced from Brazil and Colombia.
These two varieties of coffee beans are well-kneaded to give an intense a top note of a creamy chocolate from the Arabica beans while the bitter and body flavor comes from the Robusta beans.
Galliano Expresso Taste
The complete flavor palate of the Galliano Espresso has a close resemblance to that of a strong coffee corretto together with a dark and heavily roasted coffee beans flavor. However, the after taste of the Galliano Espresso is that of an intense peppermint freshness.
Galliano Vanilla is made up of a fine blend of botanicals contained in the Galliano Autentico recipe together with other herbs and flower such as lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom.
However, since the base and most dominant flavor of the Galliano Vanilla is vanilla, a strong vanilla distillate of the best quality is being added to give this liqueur its characteristic strong vanilla flavor. Sure, this dominant vanilla flavor makes Galliano Vanilla a favourite choice for many, especially in cocktails while still maintaining a great sense and taste of the famous Galliano liqueur.
Galliano Vanilla Taste
Just as you would rightly guess, Galliano Vanilla is mesmerized with a strong taste and tone of vanilla together with a fresh and minty taste of other herbs.
In need a perfect substitute for your favorite Italian Strega liqueur? If yes, then you have it all here with the outstanding and perfectly distilled varieties of the Italian Galliano liqueur to give your taste buds more flavors to explore.