What is Tuaca January 31, 2019

On one of the higher liquor shelves of the bar, we have a bottle of an amber colored liqueur with an interesting name. And for many days I wondered what exactly was Tuaca. I finally got around to cracking open the bottle and giving it a try. Now before I give you my impressions, I wanted to go into the background on what Tuaca is.

Very simply put. Tuaca is a blend of Italian Brandy, Mediterranean Citrus and Vanilla Spice whose roots can be harked back to the era of the Italian renaissance. According to the Tuaca website:

Legend has it that the liquid was first blended to commemorate Lorenzo de Medici. Remembered as The Magnificent, Lorenzo ruled over Florence, Italy in the 15th century and was a generous benefactor to artists who ultimately defined this remarkable time. The resulting recipe created in his honor has since survived more than 500 years.

The fine brandy used to make Tuaca comes from a town east of Roma named Anagni, known for producing some of the finest grapes in Italy.

Those de Medicis sure knew how to live life to the fullest in 15th century Italy. Now let's fast forward to modern times. Also according to the Tuaca website:

In the 1930s, brothers-in-law Gaetano Tuoni and Giorgio Canepa recreated the recipe and named it Tuaca, a combination of their last names. And During World War II, American servicemen stationed in Livorno, Italy discovered the unique flavor of Tuaca and searched for it, albeit in vain, upon their return to America. In the late 1950s, an astute importer from San Francisco brought Tuaca to the United States to begin its reign as the perfect spirit to turn an ordinary night into one you will remember forever.

Tuaca is listed as a blended Brandy on the website while on the bottle it is listed as a Vanilla Citrus Liqueur. Regardless of its classifcation, Tuaca is 35% ALC/VOL aka 70 proof. Here is a little hitch to Tuaca. We apparently have a bottle of Tuaca before it changed ownership.

According to the article Sazerac gives Tuaca new recipe and design by Amy Hopkins from The Spirits Business dated May 18, 2017:

Tuaca Originale Liquore Italiano will once again be made with imported Italian brandy and infused with Mediterranean citrus and vanilla spice to offer flavours of “caramel, citrus, dried fig and honey”. Previous owner Brown-Forman used California brandy to create Tuaca.

So for the sake of this post, I am profiling the Tuaca that was sold by Brown-Forman. Getting that out of the way, what did I think of it? Just one word: Delicious!!!

I tried it three different ways: as a sipper, on the rocks and in my hot coffee. My preferred way is to have it on the rocks. I like it nice and cold. I find it not to be too sweet and I immediately get the citrus on the nose and the vanilla and caramel flavors aren't overbearing and are very smooth and silky on the palate. I found it to be ok straight up at room temperature and didn't really like it in my coffee. Now I was having it in a cup of shitty instant coffee so maybe that had something to do with it.

The Tuaca website has a number of different cocktail recipes that you can try Tuaca in. I would recommend that you simply have it on the rocks if you just want to have a dessert in a rocks glass.

So come on through to Finns Corner (660 Washington Avenue, Corner of Bergen Street Brooklyn NY) on a Tuesday or Wednesday night and I'll serve you some Tuaca on the rocks or in your favorite cocktail. See you soon.

Until Then Keep Drinking,
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