Black Sambuca:

1 litre alcohol (40%abv)
1 litre (4 cups) of ripe elderberries
1/8 tsp anise essential oil (15 drops or use equivalent pure aniseed extract from Supermarket)
1/8 tsp pure licorice root extract
strip of lemon peel
2 cups of granulated sugar (can be in form of invert syrup)
1 tsp glycerine (for smoothness)

Macerate the elderberries in alcohol until it becomes a characteristic dark color, then add sugar, anise, licorice, lemon peel and macerate for 30 days. Strain.

For a white (bianco) Sambuca (e.g. Romana Sambuca):

White Sambuca

1 litre of alcohol (40%abv)
1/8 tsp anise essential oil (15 drops or use equivalent pure aniseed extract from Supermarket)
2 cups of granulated sugar (can be in form of invert syrup)
1 tsp glycerine (for smoothness)

Add anise oil to alcohol and shake vigorously to dissolve. Add sugar and glycerine.

Sambuca goes well when added to a short black (espresso) coffee (caffe corretto). There is also a ritual of floating several coffee beans in a shot glass of Sambuca and lighting them. I saw this done - it cracked an expensive shot glass!

Anise Liqueur (This possibly is similar to the commercial Sardinian 'Yellow Villacidro' which is 40%abv and 15% sugar, colored yellow with saffron.)

40 g green aniseed
20 mm (3/4 inch) cinnamon stick
5 coriander seeds
1 litre alcohol 90%bv
500 ml water
400 g sugar

Macerate spices in alcohol for 8 weeks. Strain. Add sugar syrup.