Some bluish flames, a transparent drink with three coffee beans floating in it: no doubt about it, you sambuca con la mosca (with flies), like a real Roman! If the flames make you nervous, you can also ask for the iced (sambuca ghiaccio e mosca). The roasted coffee beans, which look like flies (moscas) lost in your glass, contribute a bitter taste when crunched, which counteracts the sweetness of the sambuca. Be on your guard against this playful beverage, based on steam-distilled star anise seeds combined with liquorice and elderberry flower (sambucus means "elderberry" in Vulgar Latin), because the sambuca is 42 percent alcohol! It is often enjoyed con la mosca, but sambuca is also drunk neat with ice or diluted apéritif. It is so sweet than you can add a few drops to your coffee instead of sugar. If you prefer the hot version, ask the waiter for a caffè corretto sambuca.
