🥃 Tuaca

Tuaca is a brandy-based liqueur with notes of citrus, vanilla and caramel, 35% ABV, popular in American bars and shots. It was created in 1938 in Livorno, Tuscany, at the Tuoni e Canepa distillery. The name combines the owners' surnames, Tuoni and Canepa. Since 2010 the liqueur has been made in the USA, and since 2016 the brand has belonged to the American company Sazerac.

History. The brand tells a legend that the recipe was created in the Renaissance for Lorenzo de' Medici, but no documents support this. According to Difford's Guide, American servicemen stationed in Livorno during the Second World War discovered the drink, and an importer began bringing it to the USA in the late 1950s. Brown-Forman first bought a stake in the brand and then the whole of it; a 2016 report says the purchase was completed in 2002, while Difford's Guide gives 2003.

Changes of ownership. In 2010 production moved to the USA and the Italian plant was closed. In January 2016, Brown-Forman announced the sale of Tuaca and Southern Comfort to Sazerac.

Taste. Difford's Guide describes a golden-amber liqueur with citrus, vanilla and caramel; tasting notes also mention nutmeg and honey.

Why it matters to you. Tuaca is a liqueur: it is sweet, and 35% ABV feels weaker than brandy or whisky. Older descriptions still call it Italian, but the bottles are now made in the USA, so check the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.