Zucca (aperitif)
Zucca (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdzukka]) is a commercial Italian aperitif. Although its name is Zucca, the Italian word for squash, and is featured at Zucca's Bar located in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, its base ingredient is Rhubarb, hence its name Rabarbaro Zucca. It is also combined with zest, cardamom seeds and other curative herbs. The liqueur has a delicate and pleasant bittersweet taste and is often mixed with soda water and ice.
Zucca is closely related to other traditional Italian aperitifs, such as Campari, Punt e Mes, and Cynar, as it is relatively light, with a 30% volume in alcohol.
Zucca is owned by the same company that produces Amaretto Di Saronno. Despite this, it is difficult to find commercially in North America. However it enjoys a certain amount of prominence as the featured drink at the Zucca bar in Galleria at the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, Italy. The bar is also the site where Gaspare Campari first introduced his alcoholic infusion of herbs in the 1860s.