For Italians, having an aperitivo is NOT like “Happy Hour” in the US and else where. In fact, if I ever see an Italian bar advertising
“Happy Hour,” I know it must cater to tourists, and generally avoid. One should
practice saying, “Let’s go get an aperitivo” or “Prendiamo un aperitivo.”
Happy Hour in the U.S. is a concept about getting a drink “discount”
and drinks and/or appetizers are usually discounted or bundled together.
Not so in Italy. Aperitivo in Italy is plain and simply aperitivo:
A pre-dinner drink, meant to “open” the palate and it gives you a
chance to socialize, relax, and nibble as dinner approaches or is
overlooked altogether. Aperitivo is more popular in the north of Italy,
though you’ll find a form of it throughout Italy. Ask a local for the
best aperitivo restaurant or bar to find the one in the town you’re in.
Drinks during aperitivo are not only not discounted,
but often they have a supplement added to them to compensate for the
refreshments being offered alongside. How much supplement will depend on
the reputation and location of where you are. I’ve had an aperitivo
with fresh mozzarella for 2.50 euro and a cocktail with potato chips for
15 euro. Cocktails in general will be more expensive than the classic
aperitivo drinks listed below, though some bars will charge you “a consumazione”
and charge the same price for all drinks. A good aperitivo ranges from 6
to 10 euro and can be a good meal replacement if the buffet is
plentiful.
A good rule of thumb for evening aperitivo is from 7-9pm. Lunch
aperitivo can be offered from 12pm on and you can even find a
mid-afternoon aperitivo. Make sure you check with your particular bar
because there are some hours which will be “peak” offerings and
potential buffets will be more plentiful, usually in the evening.
What is offered with your aperitivo drink really depends on the bar. A
few olives and potato chips are the classic offering, though some get
very elaborate with fresh pizza, fruit salads, roast, hot pasta, cold
cuts like prosciutto and bresaola, fresh savoury pastries and even fresh
mozzarella in some bars!
Ordering an Aperitivo Drink in Italy
Aperitivo drinks are divided into two categories: alcolici (alcoholic), and analcolici
(non-alcoholic / “virgin”) drinks. Analcolici drinks can range from a
soft drink like Coca Cola to delicious fruit juice cocktails (aperitivo analcolico alla frutta – pictured below) to a non-alcoholic bitter like Sanbitter.
If the aperitivo’s liquor selection is extensive, a wide selection of
cocktails will be available as aperitivo drinks and you can find
anything from Manhattans to Cosmopolitans to Mojitos. For many Italians,
Campari is their drink of choice for aperitivo, and it forms the base of many traditional Italian aperitivo drinks.
Here are some “traditional” aperitivo drinks based on bitter alcohols like Campari and Aperol: the Americano, the Spritz, and the Negroni. A Negroni is gin, vermouth and Campari, and garnished with an orange peel as in my picture.
There are other ways to make a Negroni, too. A Negroni sbagliato
(“wrong”) substitutes the gin with spumante brut (dry, sparkling white
wine). Sometimes they can really get it wrong. When I ordered a Negroni
sbagliato recently, I realized it was a Negroni sbagliato sbagliato as
instead of spumante he had added vodka, which made it a Negroski.
The Americano starts out like the Negroni but
instead of using gin, soda is added to the cocktail in a tall glass that
lightens up the cocktail quite a bit.
Many regions have their own aperitivo specialty one drink that is popular in the Veneto is starting to get popular elsewhere, is the Spritz. The Spritz is made by combining soda, prosecco (sparkling white wine) and either Campari or Aperol.
Wine is always an acceptable aperitivo drink, and
sometimes much cheaper than a cocktail. If you like sweet or sparkling
wines, aperitivo is the time to drink them: Prosecco (sparkling white wine), Spumante (a sweet or dry sparkling white wine), Fragolino (a sweet sparkling red wine), Brachetto (sweet, sparkling red wine) are all excellent aperitivo drinks.
The Bellini, invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice,
is a good choice if you like prosecco and peaches but it is not always
widely available if the bar doesn’t stock peach juice or puree.
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