The Secret of Three Coffee Beans in Sambuca


If you’ve lately ordered a Sambuca drink, you might be perplexed as to why it contains three coffee beans. Most drinks don’t even come with one, let alone three coffee beans. So, what does it stand for? Is there any extra flavour that you’re not aware of?

The cocktail is called Sambuca ghiaccio e mosche, which translates to Sambuca, ice, and flies. Coffee beans, not real fly, are the flies in the drink. In this article, we’ll explain why your Sambuca drink contains three coffee beans and discuss the history of this delectable beverage. Then we’ll offer you our favourite Sambuca recipe so you can create this delightful drink at home, complete with coffee beans.

The 3 Lucky Beans

The three coffee beans in this Italian liqueur are said to be blessings that wish you happiness, good health, and great prosperity in the days ahead. So, why three beans rather than two or four?

An odd number of coffee beans is said to bring better luck than an even amount. While this may appear to some to be a ridiculous superstition, the three coffee beans do add flavour to the anise liqueur used in this drink.

Also, due of the Holy Trinity and other such things, the number three is regarded one of, if not the, most important numbers in the Christian religion. As a result, the Italians believe that three beans are an excellent way to honour both tradition and faith.

What Is Sambuca?

As you may have guessed, Sambuca is an Italian liqueur flavoured with anise that is commonly served after dinner to promote digestion.

In fact, a shot of Sambuca is frequently set on fire to finely roast the three coffee beans, then extinguished before being consumed. As you may have guessed, Sambuca is frequently blended with coffee and is occasionally used to substitute sugar in coffee due to its sweet taste.

Now that you know why Sambuca contains three coffee beans, let’s speak about one of the best recipes to attempt at home.


Sambuca Cocktaail Recipe

We’ll give you our favorite recipe for Sambuca so you can make this delicious drink, coffee beans included, in the comfort of your own home.

We’ll give you our favourite Sambuca recipe so you can create this delightful drink at home, complete with coffee beans.

1 minute of preparation

1 minute of mixing

2 minutes total

Italian cuisine

1 drink serving (s)

160 kilocalories

  • Get all of your ingredients together in one place.
  • Pour your Sambuca into a small, clear glass.
  • Add your three whole coffee beans and enjoy!

You can also set the shot of Sambuca on fire to roast the coffee beans to perfection and strengthen the flavor for added enjoyment.
That’s the simplest recipe out there for a Sambuca drink. You can easily make it in your home on a cold, blustery winter’s night or even a fine summer evening for drinking and relaxing on the front porch.

Calories: 160kcal

Final Thoughts

This brings us to the end of our blog on Sambuca and the three coffee beans it is served with. Were you aware of the triad of coffee beans in Sambuca, or were you as intrigued by the history as we were? Try this wonderful cocktail and let us know what you think!


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