Aperitivo

What it is

The drinks are chosen to wake the appetite, not dull it. There are spritzes made with sparkling wine, soda and a bitter orange or red liqueur, vermouth on ice, the Negroni and its lighter relatives, a glass of prosecco or white wine, and bitter sodas without alcohol. With the drink come olives, crisps and nuts at the least. Better bars add small sandwiches, squares of pizza or focaccia, cured meats, cheese and fried bites.

Where it comes from

The idea of a drink before eating is ancient, but the modern Italian aperitivo is tied to Turin, where vermouth, wine flavoured with herbs and spices, was first made commercially in the late eighteenth century. Milan followed in the nineteenth century with its own bitter liqueurs and the bars that served them. The spritz belongs to Venice and the Veneto. In Milan in recent decades bars began laying out a buffet with the drink, giving rise to the apericena, an aperitivo that stands in for dinner.

How it works

Aperitivo runs from about six to nine. You sit or stand, order a drink, and the snacks arrive with it or are set out on the bar. Where there is a buffet, the price of the drink is higher during these hours and covers the food. One or two drinks is the norm. Then people go home or on to a restaurant. On Sundays many Italians also take an aperitivo before lunch.

How to do it

1. Go to a bar between six and eight in the evening.
2. Order a spritz, a vermouth or an alcohol-free bitter.
3. Eat what comes with it. Ask if there is a buffet before helping yourself.
4. Stand at the bar for the lower price, or sit and pay a little more.
5. Move on to dinner after one or two drinks.

Good manners

• Do not treat the buffet as an all-you-can-eat dinner on one drink.
• Use a fresh plate and take modest portions.
• Cappuccino is a morning drink. Do not order it at aperitivo.

What is eaten

FocacciaItalian flatbread baked with olive oil and often herbs or saltBruschettaGrilled bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil, often topped with tomato or other ingredientsCrostiniSmall slices of toasted bread topped with cheese, meats, or vegetablesBreadstickThin, crisp baked bread sticks from Turin, ItalyAranciniStuffed and deep-fried rice balls from SicilyProsciuttoItalian dry-cured ham, sliced thin and served uncooked

Also part of it, and being written: Taralli, Tramezzino, Spritz.

Sources and further reading

• Apéritif and digestif on Wikipedia
• YesMilano: official site of the city of Milan
• Turismo Torino e Provincia
• Italia.it: official tourism site of Italy