Aperitif
An aperitif, or aperitif as the French spell it, is a drink you have before the meal is served. It could be an orange spritz on a terrace, or just as easily vermouth served neat over ice. Low in alcohol, bitter or herbal, and meant to whet your appetite. Read on to find out what types there are, how to drink them, and which glass to use.
The best-known aperitif brands
With these four bottles at home, you can make almost any classic aperitif cocktail. Two are bitters, and two are wines.
Aperol
From Padua, made since 1919. Orange, rhubarb, and gentian at 11%, making it the lightest of the four. It was practically made for spritzes.
About Aperol →Campari
Bright red and intensely bitter, from Milan, with a recipe dating back to 1860 that’s still a secret. The real deal. No Campari, no Negroni and no Americano.
About Campari →Martini
Vermouth from Turin, made since 1863. It comes in Rosso, Bianco, Extra Dry, and Fiero. It’s wine with wormwood and herbs, so refrigerate an opened bottle.
About Martini →
Lillet
Aperitif wine from Podensac, made with Bordeaux wine, citrus liqueur, and quinine. Refreshing, with a hint of honey. Most people know it from a spritz with tonic or a Vesper.
About Lillet →Every aperitif, listed by brand
5 brands and 7 flavors, each with its own page about flavor, cocktails and the right glass.
Light, bitter and good for your appetite
There’s no law that says what an aperitif is. It’s more a matter of function: the drink before dinner. Still, the bottles that fill that role have a lot in common. They’re low in alcohol, usually between 11 and 25%. And they’re bitter, herbal or both. That bitterness is the point. Bitter flavors stimulate saliva and make you hungry, while something sweet or heavy does the opposite and curbs your appetite. No wonder the best-known names come from Italy and France. There, aperitif hour is simply part of the day.
On the shelf, you’ll see two families. First, bitter aperitifs: liqueurs made with herbs, roots and peels. Everyone knows Aperol at 11% and Campari at 25%. Then there’s vermouth, which is quite different. Vermouth is wine with alcohol, herbs and wormwood added. Without wormwood, it can’t be called vermouth. The big names are Martini from Turin and Noilly Prat from Marseillan, at 14.5 to 18%. Lillet belongs right alongside them as an aperitif wine from Bordeaux made with citrus liqueur and quinine.
For storage, that makes a big difference. A bitter aperitif is distilled and sweetened, so it can stay in the cupboard for years. Vermouth and aperitif wine are wine. Once opened, the bottle starts to oxidize. So keep an open bottle of vermouth in the refrigerator, where it will stay good for a month or two. Leave it out, and it will lose its freshness within a few weeks. You’ll taste the difference straight away in a Dry Martini or Americano.
In brief
Six bottles to carry aperitif hour
What it comes down to is whether you have a bitter liqueur or a wine in hand. The liqueur is sweet and sharply bitter. The wine is lighter and more herbal, and doesn’t last nearly as long after opening.
Bitter aperitif, light
Bittersweet liqueur made from orange, rhubarb, and gentian, with a low alcohol content. It tastes sweeter than you might expect and is made to be diluted with prosecco and sparkling water.
Bitter aperitif, strong
Same family, only much more sharply bitter and with almost twice as much alcohol. Herbs, roots, and bitter orange peel, rounded out by a sweet core.
Red vermouth
Wine with wormwood, herbs, and caramel. Sweet and warming in taste. Mix it with gin or whiskey in a Negroni, Americano, or Manhattan.
White vermouth
White and sweet, with vanilla and floral notes where the red has caramel. Our most popular vermouth, and almost always served with tonic and a generous scoop of ice.
Dry vermouth
Dry and slightly salty, from southern France, with chamomile and nuts. It’s often surprisingly good neat over ice, but most people know it as the small part in a Dry Martini.
Aperitif wine
Strictly speaking, it’s not vermouth, because it contains no wormwood. Lillet is Bordeaux wine with citrus liqueurs and quinine. Fruitier and more floral, with the bitterness only coming through gently in the finish.
A herbal bitter, a dry sherry, or simply a glass of prosecco also works well as an aperitif.
Bitter at first, with herbs and orange
Orange peel & herbs
You almost always smell citrus peel, followed by herbs, roots and something medicinal. Vermouth adds notes of wine, vanilla and dried flowers.
Sweet start, bitter middle
It starts sweet, then the bitterness of gentian, wormwood or quinine comes through. Because the alcohol content is low, it feels light and fresh rather than warming.
Dry and short
Dry and bitter, cleansing your palate and making you want the next sip. That’s exactly the point just before a meal.
This is an average for the entire category. Campari scores 5 for bitterness and 3 for strength. A white vermouth scores around 4 for sweetness and around 1 for bitterness.
How to drink an aperitif
Cold, early in the evening and served in a small measure. The glass can be large, but the serving shouldn’t be. You want to whet your appetite, not arrive at the table tipsy.
As a spritz
It’s right there on the bottle: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts aperitif and 1 splash of sparkling water. Fill a large wine glass with ice, pour in that order and add a slice of orange. Use Campari instead of Aperol, and the same spritz becomes much more bitter.
Spritz recipe →As an Americano or Negroni
Make an Americano with 3 cl of bitter and 3 cl of red vermouth in a highball glass full of ice. Top with sparkling water and twist an orange peel over it. Replace the sparkling water with gin and it becomes a Negroni, stirred in equal parts over one large ice cube.
Americano recipe →Vermouth on the rocks
Pour 5 cl of chilled vermouth over two large ice cubes in a tumbler and add a slice of orange. This is how they drink it in Turin. Only then can you really taste what the herbs and wormwood bring. If you have dry vermouth, use a lemon peel instead.
The right glass →The classic aperitif cocktails
These four recipes rely on the same two bottles, a bitter and a vermouth. Change only the spirit and you have another classic.
Aperol Spritz
Prosecco, Aperol and a splash of sparkling water over plenty of ice.
Negroni
Equal parts gin, Campari and red vermouth. Three ingredients, no doubt.
Americano
Campari, red vermouth and sparkling water. The lightest of the family.
Negroni Sbagliato
A Negroni that accidentally got prosecco instead of gin.The right glass for an aperitif
For a Spritz, you want a large glass that can hold lots of ice. A Negroni belongs in a heavy tumbler with one large cube. These are the glasses we'd choose ourselves.
Questions about aperitif and aperitif drinks
Can't find your question here? Check out our cocktail recipes or get in touch.
To the cocktail recipes →What exactly is an aperitif?
What is the alcohol percentage in an aperitif?
What is the difference between Aperol and Campari?
What is vermouth, and why does it contain wormwood?
Should vermouth be refrigerated after opening?
Which glass do you use for an aperitif?
Buy aperitifs
Want the bottle delivered straight to your door? Order aperitifs online at Gall & Gall. Gall & Gall has 18, 4 of which are on sale.
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