The Secret Life Of Aperitifs: Unveiling 5 Pre-Dinner Drinking Traditions
The aperitif is a light, refreshing cocktail or drink that is savoured as a pre-dinner tipple, most times at sunset hour before heading for the main meal. Aperitifs are meant to be dry, bitter and even sparkling and are crafted using varied ingredients and spirits.
The aperitif has then been around for ages and over time, Italian and French aperitifs from the negroni to the pastis have become quite popular as vibrant, aromatised sparkling drinks that are best enjoyed before dinner.
While there are few stringent rules associated with what constitutes an aperitif, certain alcohols and spirits like sherry, vermouth and campari are most often associated with aperitivo cultures.
And just as cocktails comprising these ingredients have been prepared through the years to be enjoyed as pre-dinner drinks, so too several traditions abound around the practice of sipping on aperitives.
Read on below to know more about some of the pre-dinner drinking traditions that are integral to aperitif cultures across several European regions:
Aperitif Hours
One of the most interesting traditions associated with the aperitif is the hours when it is consumed. While Spanish traditions involve drinking cocktails like sangria and spirits such as vermouth and sherry in late afternoons, in French cultures, an aperitif like the pastis is prepared for early evenings. In Italian societies, drinking an aperitif is akin to attending a social event and there is a whole set of food and drink etiquette involved such as serving small bites with the pre-meal tipple.
Aperitif hours across different regions vary, yet the practice of enjoying a drink before dinner has sustained in these parts of the world for centuries.
Drinking For Long Periods
Since an aperitif is a very fresh and bright cocktail flavoured with herbaceous and citrus forward notes, it is most often than not enjoyed for a long period so its potent flavours can be experienced gradually.
A cocktail like the French pastis is prepared by diluting this spirit in water. The mixture is kept over a bed of ice and you keep on adding water at regular intervals to further lighten the drink as the early evening morphs into dinnertime.
Small Bites As Accompaniments
In most Greek and Italian drinking traditions, aperitifs are generally accompanied by small bites or munchies that pair suitably with the drinks on offer. Grecian traditions rooted in the mezze platter often feature a spread of olives, feta cheese, tzatziki and other amuse bouches while serving traditional anise-flavoured spirits like ouzo or tsipouro.
Other small bites that are enjoyed with aperitifs include Spanish tapas like patatas bravas or chorizos as well as Italian variations that comprise crostinis, bruschettas and a wide array of cheeses.
Stimulating The Palate
One of the reasons aperitifs are enjoyed before dinner is because their flavours are thoroughly refreshing without becoming too overpowering. As such, aperitifs generally are made up of anise flavoured liquors like the pastis and ouzo, some select white and fortified wines like sherry and vermouth and herbaceous spirits such as gin or campari.
Each of these spirits contains light and fresh flavours that are often a mix of sweet, spicy and sour tastes. These sharp notes are ideal for getting your taste buds to titillate suitably and ensure you long for the main meal to follow.
Choosing Your Aperitif
A tradition closely associated with aperitif culture is knowing which pre-dinner tipple you would want to savour. This can be determined according to the region or cuisine you will be enjoying at dinner. You cannot go wrong with ouzo at a Grecian themed cocktail hour but if your dinner and appetisers include a spread of pastas, charcuterie and cheeses, you might want to sip on a negroni or an aperol spritz.
Either way, relish your chosen drink on a bed of ice late into the evening until you are summoned for dinner to enjoy the experience of drinking an aperitif.
