What's an 'aperitivo'?

An aperitivo is an Italian pre-dinner drink (and accompanying small snacks) intended to stimulate the appetite before a meal. The drinks are typically light, slightly bitter, and lower in alcohol than after-dinner spirits.

The aperitivo tradition is centered on Northern Italian cities (Milan, Turin, Venice) and is a fixed daily ritual: roughly 6 to 8 PM, a light pre-dinner drink at a bar with small bites (olives, taralli, breadsticks, salami, cheese cubes — sometimes elaborate spreads in cities like Milan). The drinks are designed to wake up the palate without filling the stomach. Classic aperitivo drinks include: Aperol Spritz (the most popular globally), Negroni and Negroni Sbagliato, Campari Soda, Americano, Bellini, Hugo Spritz (St-Germain elderflower with prosecco), Garibaldi (Campari with fresh-squeezed orange juice). The opposite of an aperitivo is a digestivo (digestif) — a stronger, sweeter, lower-pH spirit served AFTER dinner to settle the stomach: amari (Fernet-Branca, Averna, Montenegro), grappa, sambuca. Many bottles bridge both roles depending on context. If a recipe is described as 'aperitivo-style,' it means lighter, lower-ABV, and slightly bitter — built for the appetite-stimulating role, not the digestive-settling role.