Apéritif and digestif

Apéritifs served with appetizers.

An apéritif (also spelled aperitif) is an alcoholic drink that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal, contrasting with digestifs, which are served after meals. Apéritifs are commonly served with something small to eat, such as crackers, cheese, pâté, olives, and various kinds of finger food.[1][2] This French word is derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open.”

A digestif is an alcoholic beverage that is taken just after a meal, purportedly as an aid to digestion — hence the name, which is borrowed from French. If a digestif is a bitters, it will contain bitter or carminative herbs that some believe will aid digestion.[3] In contrast to apéritifs, digestifs usually contain more alcohol.

Digestifs are usually taken straight (neat). Common choices are amari, bitters, brandy, grappa, herbal liqueur, limoncello, ouzo, tequila, and whisky.

Some wines (usually fortified wines) are served as digestifs — for example, sherry, port, and madeira.

Contents

History

The aperitif was introduced in 1846, when a French chemist, Joseph Dubonnet, created a wine-based drink as a means of delivering malaria-fighting quinine. The medicine is a bitter brew, so he developed a formula of herbs and spices to mask quinine's sharp flavor, and it worked so well that the recipe has remained well-guarded ever since. French Foreign Legion soldiers made use of it in mosquito-infested Northern Africa. Joseph's wife was so fond of the stuff that she had all her friends try it, and its popularity spread from there.

Some say that the concept of drinking a small amount of alcohol before a meal dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Main records, however, show that the apéritif first appeared in 1786 in Turin, Italy, when Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented vermouth in this city. In later years, vermouth was produced and sold by such well-known companies as Martini, Cinzano, and Gancia.

Apéritifs were already widespread in the 19th century in Italy, where they were being served in fashionable cafes in Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, Turin, and Naples. Apéritifs became very popular in Europe in the late 19th century. By 1900, they were also commonly served in the United States. In Spain and in some countries of Latin America, apéritifs have been a staple of tapas cuisine for centuries.

Types

Five glasses of apéritif.

There is no single alcoholic drink that is always used for an apéritif; fortified wines, liqueurs, and dry champagne are possibly the most common choices.

Sherry, a fortified wine, is a very popular apéritif. In Greece, ouzo is a popular choice; in France, pastis. In Italy, vermouth or bitters (amari) may be served; popular brands of bitters are Campari, Cinzano, Byrrh, and Suze. In the Eastern Mediterranean Arak is served with mezze.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lichine, Alexis. Alexis Lichine’s New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits (5th edition) (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), 75.
  2. ↑ Robinson, Jancis. The Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd edition) (Oxford University Press: 2006), 26.
  3. ↑ Walton, Stuart; Miller (2002). Spirits & Liqueurs Cookbook. New York: Hermes House. pp. 16–17. ISBN 1843094983.