Addicted to the Witch's Brew: Strega

Yes, I am under a witch’s spell.

She is a gorgeous yellow with tastes of basil, mint, and juniper -- and so much more.

Strega is, in my mind, the greatest liqueur of all time.

Sure you can give Louis XIII some kudos as my young taste buds, but not my wallet, could imbibe all the time on $125 a shot.

Strega has a working man’s price tag with an Italian goddess taste.

Actually she is a witch. That’s what Strega means in Italian due to its hometown of Benevento, Italy -- known for its witch legends.

Strega gets some mention in Italian Opera. In Puccini’s La Boheme, as luscious as Strega, Puccini’s character Marcello calls his lover Musetta “Strega”. If Musetta had sipped on Strega she might have been flattered.

My first taste of Strega was during my years at Providence College. However, precisely when is up in the air.

It may have been during my many readings of Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms, a tour de force still today about World War I.

I had drunk much wine and afterward coffee and Strega and I explained, winefully, how we did not do the things we wanted to do; we never did such things.

Winefully? See what Strega does. Does Hemingway mean too much wine or he was whining?

I never whine with Strega, but I will wine before. For more literary musings over Papa Hemingway and Strega check out this link.

By the way, winter is a great time to read A Farewell To Arms and sip Strega.

But so is a summer in Venice – which could have been my other first time with Strega. I was studying abroad and drank in Strega and the Piazza San Marco together.

The effect on me is strong decades later as I use my witch’s brew to torment restaurants that don’t carry it.