Sabra Chocolate Orange Liqueur

This is my first alcohol review in spite of the fact I was a bartender for two years. (A little known fact about me.) With some suggestions from Tom (411) and the help of some Internet sites (noted) I am reviewing Sabra Orange Liqueur Chocolate Flavored (The exact name of this product is from the bottle.)

There is a category at epinions called ?What You Should Know About Sabra? and Naphtalia who is from Tel Aviv has told us that there are 4 Sabras one of which is the alcohol. That review can be found at:
http://jobythebay.epinions.com/content_1154719876/tk_~CB0011.1.1

At $18.00 a bottle or more, Sabra is a treat. The current bottle I am reviewing comes directly from Israel ? no middleman or woman involved. My husband?s cousin spent 6 weeks there recently and had to stop in Boston on her way home to Kentucky. She spent the night with us and brought us this bottle as a gift. Needless to say much of it is gone. It is delightful and delicious liquor. The bottle I own is priced online at $51.00. It is the largest of the 3 sizes.

What is a liqueur?

Liqueur, alcoholic beverage made of distilled alcoholic spirits combined with one or more aromatic flavoring substances and usually sweetened. A liqueur may serve as an after-dinner drink or as an ingredient in a cocktail. Many liqueurs, such as Benedictine, were originally made by monks. The finest liqueurs are prepared by distilling strong alcohol in which a flavoring or combination of flavorings has been macerated and treating the distillate with sugar and, frequently, coloring matter. The proof of liqueurs, a standard number that indicates about twice the percentage of alcohol by volume, averages between 60 and 70. Flavorings include orange peel, caraway seed, and sloe, found in curacao, kummel, and sloe gin, respectively. Cordials are liqueurs flavored by fruit pulp or juices. from:

"Liqueur," Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com ? 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Sabra is imported from Israel, produced and bottled by Israel Distillers Corporation. It is Kosher for Passover which means than not only can people who observe the laws of Kashrit (Which roughly and necessarily brief means not eating milk and dairy together and having separate dishes.) can enjoy it but also it can be served on Passover when many people who observe the Jewish religion eat only products that have been produced where no yeast is. (This gets very complicated and is beyond the scope of this review!)

The bottle I own is beautiful and can be distinguished by that alone. With a long thin neck and a bulb shaped bottom it is pretty. I have had it on one of my tables since my cousin brought it to us, not hiding it in the cabinet.

It has an alcohol content of 30%.

If you happen to be in a store looking at it there is some Hebrew on it. What it says (My husband speaks Hebrew) basically is that it is Kosher for Passover and the address of the distillers is in Hebrew. There is a government stamp in Hebrew on it. In addition the name SABRA is in Hebrew. You will see 4 Hebrew letters above ?The Liqueur of Israel? and that is what that says.

Sabra is a brownish orange color, which makes perfect sense since it is a blend of chocolate and orange! In the bottle it is slightly darker then in a cup. It smells absolutely delicious. Have you had the chocolate-orange balls that you can slice off wedges from just like an orange? It is a chocolate product very popular around the Christmas holidays. This smells just like that.

I usually don?t drink very much and definitely not at 9:30am, but I haven?t had this since my cousin was here...so here goes. I certainly taste the alcohol but I have a low tolerance for it so that stands out more than the chocolate and orange flavor for me although it is clearly sweet tasting. I asked my husband to taste it and he looked at me like I was nuts (ok, ok) asking him to drink this at 9:30am, but he immediately knew why and obliged. He tasted the chocolate orange flavor but he drinks wine and beer regularly. It really is quite good. It doesn?t have a bitter taste. It, of course, tastes sweet. It goes down easily and doesn?t make me ?shiver.? It is smooth and very tasty.

Sabra, I just discovered while reviewing it can be put in a lot of recipes and is!

For some recipes, you can go to this website:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Sabra+Liquer&btnG=Google+Search

This is the start of the recipe of the month: Sounds good!
1/2 lb sugar. 6 oz white chocolate. 6 oz dark chocolate.
1/2 oz Kahluha. 1/2 oz Sabra Coffee Liquer

It is also put in cakes both for Passover and for regular baking by people of all faiths.

Sabra can be used as an aperitif, before dinner, or after dinner as a cordial. It is delicious alone, but it is also really good with cookies, especially Pepperidge Farm Mint Milano cookies or any Pepperidge Farm cookies. (I just like the way they go with this liqueur. Obviously most pastries will do.) It isn?t the type of drink I would have with carrot cake or apple pie. I think you can see the difference. It is delicious in coffee. Just pour an ounce or less into a cup of hot coffee and enjoy! It doesn?t mix well with other alcoholic beverages. I would not want to have a beer and then Sabra unless there were hours in-between!

Sabra can be bought in most any liquor store. It can also be bought online at
http://www.jerusalemshoppe.com/oriental-food.html

where it is available in 3 sizes. You can go to that website to see what the bottle looks like. There it ranges in price from $19.00 to $51.00.

In summary, I think Sabra is one of the most delicious pre and/or post dinner drinks. I do personally prefer it after a meal because of the chocolate flavor. It is expensive, but remember you don?t pour 8 ounces of this into a glass. It is nice if you can serve it in a tall, thin long-stemmed glass or something you would serve, for example, Bailey?s Irish Cream in.

I hope I have given you a ?flavor? of Sabra. Feel free to e-mail me, though I can?t offer you any.