It is strong and sweet, and usually drunk after meals as a digestive, or used as a hot drink on cold afternoons.

Sailors and fishermen from the port of Fano (PU) may have created the drink, as they used similar ingredients to warm and invigorate themselves in the workplace.

In 2004, AIBES (Associazione Italiana Barman e Sostenitori) recognised moretta as an official cocktail.

[1] The hot cocktail is a blend of anise, rum and brandy in roughly equal parts.

Moretta is usually served in small transparent glasses, allowing the drinker to see the expected three layers: froth, coffee, and liquor.