By I'm here to tell you that apéritifs are the best kind of drink. Forget happy hours and sundowners, a boozy beverage that has the sole purpose of whetting your appetite before a meal is surely the best?
Maybe it's because I'm nearing 30 that jelly shots and big batch boozy punches are taking a back seat to bitter, rich negronis and dry, crisp, cold glasses of fizz? As I've gotten older, super-sweet, brightly-hued cocktails no longer excite me like a carefully curated cocktail list of pre-dinner tipples, my palate craving something more bitter, more complex and more dry.
But it's not just the taste, the whole concept and culture of drinking an apéritif appeals to me; friends getting together under a low hanging sun, the ice of their spritz frosting their glasses, or a pre-dinner martini before date night in a low-lit city bar at dusk. The romanticism aside, apéritifs are gorgeously refreshing, with flavour profiles leaning more towards the herbal, drier, refreshing end of the cocktail spectrum.
What is an apéritif?
The official definition of an apéritif is a drink that is normally served before a meal to stimulate the appetite, that's usually dry rather than sweet. You can enjoy it solo, or alongside pre-dinner snacks like nuts, olives or other small amuse-bouche style bits.
What type of alcohol is an apéritif?
As mentioned before, there is not one type of alcohol that is classed as an apéritif, instead, it's the style of dry rather than sweet. For example, dry, sparkling wines like Champagne and Crémant are apéritifs, as well as bitter liqueurs like Aperol and Campari, and sprits like vodka and gin.
Different styles of apéritifs:
Now that we know apéritif = bitter + alcohol + refreshing, a lot of drinks spring to mind, right?
Starting off classic and simple, the humble gin and tonic is a great example - perfectly combining a bitter spirit with bubbles and zest for a refreshing drink. In Portugal, you might swap out the gin for white port, for a classic Porto Tonico.
Gin & Tonic
Although gin and tonics are drank at almost virtually any time or occasion, a G&T is the perfect aperitif thanks to its dry yet refreshing nature.
How to make the perfect G&T.
Vodka Tonic
If gin isn't your thing, a vodka tonic is equally refreshing and complex if you choose the right spirit base.
How to make a Vodka Tonic.
Porto Tonico
Simply white port and tonic, a porto tonico is the crispy fresh sibling of the G&T and enjoyed greatly in er, Portugal.
How to make a Porto Tonico.
St. Germain Spritz
A relatively new invention, the St Germain Spritz combines Prosecco, soda water and elderflower liqueur for a refreshing spritz. St Germain was only invented in 2007, after the founder took inspiration from an elderflower syrup he was served in a London bar.
How to make a St. Germain Spritz.
Then there's vermouth, a staggeringly complex and diverse aromatised wine that's enjoyed in France, Italy and Spain. While you can swap the white port, or gin, for vermouth with your tonic, you can also enjoy it with just a splash of soda or Prosecco.
My most memorable experience of drinking vermouth, and one that will stay with me for a long time, was at a small bar in San Sebastian in Spain that served it with gin, lots of ice and lemon oil for an intense aroma and flavour.
Then there's the spritz, a traditional wine-based cocktail served with Aperol or Campari. The most famous of them is the Aperol Spritz, an orange-hued beauty that has become on of the UK's most popular drinks.
In fact, Aperol and Campari, two bitter, Italian liqueurs, are probably the most famous of apéritifs, lending themselves to a whole host of pre-dinner palate cleansers.
Aperol is the less-alcoholic, lighter version of the two, most famous in its spritz format but can also be enjoyed mixed with soda, or as the base of other brilliant cocktails (we have a whole load of Aperol cocktails for inspiration!).
Campari on the other hand lends itself better to stronger drinks, like its most famous - the Negroni, combining Campari, vermouth and gin. You also have the Negroni Sbagliato (Nigella Lawson's fave drink) that swaps the gin out for Prosecco, an Americano that swaps the gin out for soda water, and a Boulevardier that replaces the gin with rye whisky or bourbon. Keeping up? If that's all a bit too much, a Campari and soda is delicious.
Negroni
Gin, sweet vermouth and bitter Campari make up the classic Negroni. It's believed this drink originated at a bar in Florence after a Count Camillo Negroni requested for his Americano (campari, vermouth and soda water) to have gin in replacement to the soda.
How to make a Negroni .
Summer Negroni
The flavour profile of a negroni might be a bit too much so our Aperol version is the perfect twist on the aperitif.
How to make a Summer Negroni.
Aperol Spritz
The most famous of the aperitifs? The popular Aperol Spritz is one of the most well-bought drink in the UK, and for good reason. Aperol, combined with Prosecco and soda water, is deliciously refreshing.
How to make an Aperol Spritz.
Campari Soda
Campari is quite bitter, but when added to soda you get a really refreshing drink.
We can't talk apéritifs without mentioning the martini, of course. Two-ingredients, shaken or stirred for a delicious, appetite inducing drink, with a little olive brine to make it dirty if you like. You can choose vodka or gin, or both, but then that's called a Vesper. Swap out the vermouth for sweetened lime juice, and you have a gin gimlet. Phew.
Gin Martini
A simple mix of vermouth and gin, the martini needs to be cold and well diluted to be the perfect tipple. The drink was supposedly first concocted at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York city in 1912.
How to make a Gin Martini.
Vodka Martini
All you need to do is swap your gin for vodka and you have yourself a vodka martini. If you add in a small amount of olive brine, you'll then get yourself a dirty martini.
How to make a Vodka Martini.
Vesper
Famous as the 'James Bond' cocktail, a Vesper is basically an elevated martini, using both gin and vodka together rather than just one spirit, alongside Lillet Blanc.
How to make a Vesper Martini.
Gimlet
Gin and lime cordial combine for a gimlet, a cocktail that rose to popularity after it was mentioned in 1953 novel The Long Goodbye. However long before that it was apparently used to serve sailors in the British Royla Navy as a means to fight scurvy.
How to make a Gimlet.
And across the world you have a whole host of apéritif drinks perfect to suit all kinds of cocktail needs. In Greece there's the aniseed-liqueur Ouzo, that tastes amazing in a tall grapefruit-based cocktail if you can't drink it straight. Tequila-based drinks like a margaritas and palomas are also great apéritifs. Or if you want something a bit unique, try a Bitter Giuseppe, using Cynar, or match Pimm's and sparkling wine for a refreshing Pimm's Spritz.
Finally, if you just want to keep it simple, a crisp glass of Champagne, or Crémant are both perfect apéritifs, with a splash of cremé de cassis for a Kir Royale, or lemon juice and simple syrup for a French 75 if you want to mix things up.
Sparkling Ouzo & Grapefruit
Ouzo is an aniseed-flavoured aperitif enjoyed widely in Greece. While not as common anymore, ouzo can be enjoyed at a dedicated Ouzeri, a bar/restaurant selling the liqueur alongside mezze. We've stepped it up a notch with this grapefruit cocktail.
How to make Sparkling Ouzo & Grapefruit.
Bitter Giuseppe
This cocktail was made popular in Chicago, and is also referred to as a Cynar Manhattan (replacing the whisky for Cynar amaro alongside sweet vermouth and bitters).
How to make a Bitter Giuseppe.
Margarita
Again, not massively well known as an aperitif, but a tequila-fuelled margarita is the perfect pre-dinner drink. Cointreau, tequila and lime juice are shaken together for the perfect concoction, and our Lemon Drizzle version is outrageously good.
Get the Lemon Drizzle Margarita recipe.
Pimm's
Pimm's is as iconic to the British culture as the Queen, and is one of the most popular pre-dinner, lets-get-the-party-started drinks out there. While this is one of the best crowd-pleaser cocktails and a jug of Pimm's never goes amiss, we also love a spritz version.
How to make a Pimm's Spritz.
French 75
Match Champagne with lemon juice and simple syrup for a delcious and refreshing French 75.
How To Make A French 75
Have a made my point yet about apéritifs being super versatile and utterly delicious?
If you're now desperate to make some up for your next dinner party, you're spoilt for choice.
