Sambuca in Sambuca Kisses

Asked by merce369. Answered on 1st December 2012

Full question

I would love to try Nigella's Sambuca Kisses recipe, because it is so similar to a dish my mom used to make for us when we were growing up. My mom used tvorog in her recipe, but it's so hard to find it in London (a little bit like cottage cheese, but different texture). I never thought of using ricotta. But my question is whether it is possible to makes Sambuca Kisses without actual sambuca or any alcohol whatsoever? How important is it to keep that ingredient in? I'd like to try the recipe and give it to children - can't use alcohol though! Thank you.

Our answer

The sambuca in Nigella's Sambuca Kisses recipe is there for flavouring so it is possible to make the recipe without the sambuca as alcohol is not required for any other reason in the recipe. Sambuca has a mainly anise/liquorice flavour which may not appeal to smaller children so you could always replace the sambuca with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract if making the Kisses for children.

Sambuca is also flavoured with elderflowers so if your children like elderflower cordial then you could try adding 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of this to the mixture instead of the sambuca or vanilla. You may prefer to add a small quantity of cordial first then fry one little sample to check. Taste (cool before tasting!) and adjust the cordial quantity to your own preference.