Strega (liqueur) is sometimes called "the witch" in the English-speaking world. The Premio Strega (Strega Prize), the most prestigious literary award in Italy today, was founded in 1947 by Guido Alberti, then owner of the company, together with his friends the writer Maria Bellonci and her husband Goffredo. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, one of several international spirit ratings organizations, has evaluated Strega liqueur on three occasions since 2005. The ratings organization gave the spirit gold medals in 2005 and 2011 and a silver medal in 2008. Strega (liqueur) Liquore Strega is an Italian herbal liqueur produced since 1860 by the
Chocolate liqueur cacao"). An early 19th-century American cookbook, published in 1825 and preserved in an historical archive in South Carolina, includes a similar recipe. Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th century, manuals and encyclopedias in French, English, and Spanish give similar recipes. A late 19th century food science manual gives a recipe that includes techniques for clarifying and coloring the liqueur. A similar early 20th century manual gives four recipes. There are several brands of chocolate liqueur on the market; this is attributed to a 1990s "chocolate craze". Early 19th century recipes for chocolate liqueur featured whole cocoa beans.