Apéritifs

The world of apéritifs is a wondrous, but mysterious one, because the custom is rarely enjoyed properly in the US (not since the early 1900s at least.) Derived from the Latin verb aperire, meaning "to open," an Apéritif is an alcoholic drink that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal and is accompanied by an assortment of finger foods. I had my first apéritif at a cafe in the medieval town of Trento, Italy, where I sat before the piazza del Duomo, sipping Campari mixed with dry champagne, eating crostini draped with Burrata cheese.

Consider for your next dinner party, having only apéritif. What could be on the menu? A Negroni cocktail, little slices of fennel, leek, and green olive frittata, roasted red peppers stuffed with goat cheese, mint, pine nuts, and black currants, & fig and onion bruschetta...And maybe some Aperol sorbet for dessert?

Here is a fun Saveur article on Campari