One of the best parts about traveling abroad is familiarizing yourself with the local culture and customs – particularly around food. And that’s especially true in Italy. For example, dinner is on the later side (around 8:00 PM). So what do Italians do after work and before dinner? They partake in a very special custom called “Aperitivo hour”, which begins at around 6:00 PM and goes until 9:00 PM at local cafes, bars, hotels, and restaurants throughout Italy. Think of Aperitivo hour as the Italian version of the American cocktail hour.
But first off, let’s clarify the difference between the American “Happy Hour” and the Italian “Aperitivo Hour”. The biggest difference is that Aperitivo Hour isn’t a huge boozy, 2-for-1 drinks, let’s-get-smoked affair. It’s actually pretty refined.
THE APERITIVO TRADITION
A little background about aperitivo in Italy. First off, it’s practically an institution, rooted in tradition and history. The name aperitivo comes from the Latin “aperire” which means “to open”. This captures the very essence of what the tradition of the Italian aperitivo is about: to come together and open up, to have good conversation with your friends over a drink. An aperitivo is meant to whet the appetite, and oftentimes, there are complimentary snacks on offer as an accompaniment. Drinks during aperitivo hour can be a cocktail such as a Spritz or Negroni (or some variation), a glass of Prosecco, wine or birra (beer).
FAVORITE PLACES
Below are several images I’ve taken on my Italian travels in Florence, Venice, Bologna, Lake Como and Bellagio, at some of my favorite places to enjoy an aperitivo.
My husband and I had a lovely aperitivo in Belaggio, Italy at a restaurant overlooking beautiful Lake Como on our honeymoon. It doesn’t get much better than an aperitivo with a view!
Places to enjoy an aperitivo aren’t necessarily fancy – oftentimes, they’re the equivalent to a casual “neighborhood joint”, sometimes with outdoor seating.
The photos below are from one of our favorite places to enjoy an aperitivo in Como, Italy. Panino Buono (“Good Sandwich”) on Via Garibaldi is unprepossessing from the outside, but their aperitivo is a great deal (plus they give you a complimentary sandwich and snacks!)
Another one of our favorite spots in Como called Il Sorso Enoteca & Wine Bar on Piazza Alessandro Volta. “Il Sorso” means “the sip”, an appropriate name for a place to enjoy an aperitivo. My husband and I discovered this place and enjoyed an aperitivo in the late afternoon, and returned after dark to listen to some fabulous jazz music. It’s a good sign when you’re traveling and you visit a restaurant more than once – a ringing endorsement!
One of my favorite places to enjoy an aperitivo is Harry’s Bar in Venice, near San Marco Square. Dating back to the 1930s, Harry’s is owned by the Cipriani family and is the birthplace of the Bellini cocktail. It was also a hangout for Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote (among many other celebrities). The atmosphere is low-key and it’s pretty small, too. The drinks aren’t cheap, but I find it interesting that a soft drink costs nearly as much as a cocktail!
A TASTE OF ITALY AT HOME
Until we can return to Italy, my husband and I have taken to enjoying aperitivo hour at home. And the good news for those of you who are at-home mixologists is that the Italian cocktails I’m featuring today are very simple (usually with three ingredients).
STOCKING AN “APERITIVO BAR”
Stocking your aperitivo bar is pretty easy, and you’ll only need five kinds of liquor (plus sparkling water) to make the cocktails we photographed for this post.
Before I get into the five liquors you’ll need to stock your Aperitivo Bar, I should preface that bitter is a prominent flavor profile in the classic Italian cocktails. It’s an acquired taste, but just know that (as in life), the Bitter is countered with the Sweet (more on that later). The Italians do it bitter (I mean better)!
Here are five spirits you’ll need to stock your Aperitivo bar:
APEROL: Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a vibrant orange hue, and its name comes from the French slang word for aperitif, which is apero. This is the main ingredient in the classic “Spritz” cocktail, and it has a low alcohol content at 11%.
CAMPARI: Campari is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif, obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a bitters, characterized by its dark red color. I would describe the flavor profile as bitter, spicy and sweet. It’s also more boozy than Aperol (24% in the United States).
RED (SWEET) VERMOUTH: Sweet vermouth is a fortified wine infused with a range of botanicals. It originated in Italy, and is also known as red vermouth (vermouth rosso) due to its color. It’s basically sweetened red wine, and you can pay as little as $4 a bottle (at Trader Joe’s) or $35 for the true-blue Italian vermouth rosso. Not surprisingly, there’s a big difference. I strongly suggest you splurge on the Carpano Antica Vermouth Rosso. The best Italian cocktails I’ve had are made with this vermouth (it’s also good enough to drink on its own, on the rocks).
GIN: Every gin drinker has a favorite brand, and you can’t go wrong with a good, mid-priced gin such as Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire or Hendrick’s (my preferred gin). No need to splurge on an artisanal (expensive) gin, which would get lost in these Italian cocktails.
PROSECCO: Prosecco is an Italian DOC or DOCG sparkling white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco in the province of Trieste, Italy. What’s that DOC or DOCG thing? Under Italian wine law, DOCG is the highest designation of quality among Italian wines. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin). DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin). For purposes of these Italian cocktails, DOC is just fine. You can find a decent Prosecco for around $10 a bottle.
Plus one non-alcoholic addition, namely SPARKLING WATER (or, as it’s referred to in Italy, acqua frizzante). I prefer San Pellegrino – keeping it all in the Italian family.
BAR TOOLS
I’ve found that a basic bar tool set with a spoon, strainer, shot glass and cocktail mixing glass is a good place to start. A small glass ice bucket and pretty silver ice tongs look especially nice for a party set-up. And, even though you don’t need a cocktail shaker to make these drinks, it’s nice to have a pretty one as part of your bar set-up.
GLASSWARE
Regarding glassware, I’ve always subscribed to the theory that it shouldn’t be so expensive that I would openly weep if I (or someone else) broke it. I like the Bormioli Rocco line of glassware for mid-priced rocks glasses. I also have a fancier, crystalline set of glasses for not only Aperitivo cocktails, but also for drinking whisky and scotch (that’s my husband’s wheelhouse). For drinking red wine, I step it up a notch with the Luigi Bormioli line (these are about $12 each and are perfect for red wine and also Aperol Spritzes). As you can see, I kind of have a penchant for Italian glassware.
I like having different shapes of glassware, to mix it up (especially if you store your glassware in glass-front cabinetry). Here are the four glasses I used for the Aperitivo cocktails shown from my photo shoot in the post.
CLICK IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS:
FOUR CLASSIC APERITIVO COCKTAILS
I call these the “Fab Four” of Italian Aperitivo cocktails. The Spritz, the Negroni, the Americano and the Sbagliato (I’ll get to that pronunciation later). Keep in mind that these cocktails have varying degrees of booziness – but in general, aperitivo cocktails are not the equivalent of a Dry Martini. The alcohol content (with the except of the Negroni) is fairly low. Now onto the super-easy recipes.
THE “SPRITZ”
The Spritz is the definite aperitivo cocktail. It’s technically called an Aperol Spritz, but if you’re in Italy and you order a “Spritz”, here’s what you’ll get:
Fun fact: According to the drinks writer (cool job alert!) Rebekah Peppler, the Aperol Spritz was invented in Venice in the 19th century with Austrian soliders stationed in Northern Italy, who diluted their wine with still water. The Spritz as we currently know it came about in the 1950s, with Aperol as the basis for the drink. The Spritz is also a low A.B.V. (Alcohol By Volume) cocktail, making it an easy summer sipper. And good for day drinking. It’s easy to make if you keep in mind the “3-2-1” ratio: 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part soda water (Pellegrino).
Aperol Spritz
- 3 ounces Prosecco
- 2 ounces Aperol
- 1 ounce Sparkling soda
Add ice to a large balloon wine glass.
Combine Prosecco, Aperol and Sparkling soda in glass and stir with a cocktail spoon.
Garnish with orange slice and serve.
THE “NEGRONI”
Tuscany might be known for its wines, but it’s also the birthplace of the Negroni cocktail (in Florence in 1920). It’s the flagship cocktail of Florence (and, perhaps, all of Italy). The deep red hue comes from the aforementioned Campari, which was invented in the Piedmont region in the 1800s.
So how did it get the name “Negroni”? Now that’s an interesting story. Apparently, this Count named Pascal Olivier Negroni was frequenting his favorite watering hole in Florence (Bar Casoni) and asked the bartender to make his “Americano” a little stronger by adding gin instead of sparkling soda. And there you go! A legendary cocktail was born. Grazie mille, Count Negroni, for my go-to aperitivo cocktail (in and out of Italy).
There are a few variations of this cocktail for people who like a little less Campari and more gin, so you can play with the ratios to suit your taste. But I use a 1-1-1 ratio (equal parts of all three liquors).
Negroni Cocktail
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce Gin
- 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica preferred)
Add Campari, Gin and Sweet Vermouth to a cocktail mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes.
Garnish with an orange peel.
THE “AMERICANO”
Guess who this cocktail is named for? Yep, it’s a nod to American tourists who found the Negroni a little too bitter and bracing. It’s basically the Negroni without the gin. The Americano was invented in the Lombardy region of Italy at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan, Italy. It was originally called the “Milano-Torino” because of the origins of its two main ingredients (Campari in Milan, and Sweet Vermouth in Torino). It was renamed the Americano pre-Prohibition. This is a Campari-based cocktail, so it has a reddish-orange hue. I consider the “Americano” a “gateway cocktail” to become acquainted with the bitter notes of Campari.
You can also substitute the orange slice for blood orange slices, when they’re in season. This is a wonderful cocktail to kick off the Christmas holiday season. If you wanted to get really fancy, you could also add a sprig of rosemary along with the blood orange, for a festive cocktail garnish.
Americano Cocktail
- 1-1/2 ounces Campari
- 1-1/2 ounces Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica preferred)
- 1 to 2 ounces Soda water, to taste
- Orange or blood orange slice, to garnish
Pour the Campari and Sweet Vermouth into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes.
Top with soda, garnish with orange slice and serve.
THE “SBAGLIATO”
Okay, let’s first get the pronunciation of this one out of the way. It’s pronounced “spal-yacht-oh” (the “g” is silent). And what does “Spagliato” mean in Italian? Mistake. Wrong. Oops. Apparently, a bartender in Milan reached for the sparkling wine (Prosecco) instead of the gin when making a Negroni, and a new Italian cocktail was born. The proportions of this drink are the same as the classic Negroni (1-1-1), but you can always add more Prosecco to make it a little sweeter.
Negroni Sbagliato
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica preferred)
- 1 ounce Prosecco or other sparkling white wine
- Orange slice or peel, for garnish
Add Campari and Sweet Vermouth to an old fashioned glass filled with ice and stir.
Top with Prosecco, add an orange slice (or peel) and serve.
JUST ONE GARNISH
The humble orange is the only garnish you’ll need to make all four of the cocktails in this post. Pretty easy.
To garnish the cocktails, you can either slice the oranges into half-moons, or garnish with an orange peel using a Y-peeler (here’s a link to the Y-peeler shown below).
STYLING YOUR ITALIAN APERITIVO BAR
I’ve curated a selection of barware (and a reasonably priced bar cart) to make Aperitivo Hour easy and fun! Also, keep in mind that any of these bar items (with print-outs of the cocktail recipes in the post, plus the liquor) would make a lovely gift.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW FOR PRODUCT LINKS
SALUTE!
I hope this post has inspired you to bring a taste of Italy to your summer celebrations with an Italian Aperitivo Hour. Arrivederci and see you next week!