With the weight of winter upon me, I’ve been missing Italy of late. So when I received a request from Averna’s PR person to review a sample of their new sambuca, she didn’t exactly have to twist my arm. An authentic Sicilian sambuca made by a family in the spirits business since 1868? Bring it on.

While there is a trend to use sambuca in various mixed drinks as well, I’ve always been more of a straight up kind of girl when it comes to this liqueur. So I test drove the product in two very basic ways: in my coffee and from a shot glass. Having consumed my fair share of the cheap stuff, I can safely sum up Averna in one word. Smoo-ooth.

While I like sambuca well enough, it usually takes me a while to sip through a serving. This stuff went down easily with a fuller body than I’m used to. Bonus? It had none of the usual after bite. My only regret? I was out of fresh biscotti to go with my coffee concoction.

With an MSRP of $28.99, I consider Averna worth the splurge for times when you want a higher end sipping experience. It's currently available at wine and spirits stores nation wide here in the States. On a side note, the company is currently sponsoring a drink recipe contest for bartenders with the grand prize involving a cash gift card and a trip to Sicily. The deadline is March 31, 2008. Details are available on the company’s web site.