Apéritifs and digestifs ( /əˈpɛrɨtiːf/ and /diːʒɛˈstiːf/) are alcoholic drinks that are normally served with meals.
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An apéritif (also spelled aperitif) is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. This contrasts with digestifs, which are served after a meal for the purpose of aiding digestion. Common choices for an apéritif are vermouth, champagne, fino, sherry and any still, dry, light white wine.
"Apéritif" may also refer to a snack that precedes a meal. This includes an amuse-bouche, such as crackers, cheese, pâté or olives.[1][2]
"Apéritif" is a French word derived from the Latin verb aperire, which means “to open.”
If a digestif is a bitters, it will contain bitter or carminative herbs, which are thought to aid digestion.[3] Digestifs are usually taken straight (neat) and generally contain more alcohol than apéritifs. Common choices are amari, bitters, brandy, grappa, herbal liqueur, limoncello, ouzo, tequila, and whisky.
Some fortified wines are served as digestifs — for example, sherry, vermouth, port, and madeira.
The apéritif was introduced in 1846, when a French chemist, Joseph Dubonnet, created the eponymous wine-based drink as a means of delivering malaria-fighting quinine. The medicine was 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 drink that she had all her friends try it, and its popularity spread.
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, Dolin and Noilly Prat.
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. The popularity in Europe crossed the Atlantic and by 1900, they were also commonly served in the United States. The apéritif recrossed the Atlantic in the 1970s: the habit of a substantial food offering with the purchase of a drink during "Happy Hour" in the United States pushed the development of a more food-heavy apéritif in Italy as well.[4] In Spain and in some countries of Latin America, apéritifs have been a staple of tapas for centuries.
There is no single alcoholic drink that is always served as an apéritif. Fortified wine, liqueur, and dry champagne are probably the most common choices.