Aperitifs

APERITIFS
 The word Aperitifs originated from the Latin word “Aperitivers” which
means Open Up.
 Aperitif is a refreshing drink that is served before a meal to stimulate the
appetite.
 Aperitifs are, essentially, "before-dinner drinks". They may be served to
mingling guests before a dinner party, during a course of appetizers or
while preparing your own dinner on an average night after work.
 Think of the aperitif as a liquid appetizer.
 Apéritif is a French word and its Italian counterpart is aperitivo.
 The opposite of an aperitif is a digestif, which is typically served at the end
of a meal (it is a fancy word for a dessert cocktail).
Classification of Aperitifs
Vermouth
Introduction to Vermouth
Vermouth is an aromatized and fortified wine, deriving its name from a German
word Wermut, meaning wormwood’’.
Vermouth was first marketed as a medicine for its therapeutic and digestive
properties. It is served as aperitif and also used in the preparation of cocktails.
Of all the aromatized wines, vermouth is very popular.
Marseille in France and Turin in Italy are well known for Vermouth production.
In general, Italian Vermouth refers to sweet and red vermouth and French
Vermouth refers to dry and white Vermouth, though both the countries make all
styles of Vermouth.
Vermouth is flavoured with about 50 different ingredients which include
wormwood, quinine, citrus peels, roots, flowers and herbs.
The ingredients are chosen for their aroma and medicinal values.
Production of Vermouth
To produce Vermouth , the following ingredients are required.
1. Young wine of Ordinary quality.
2. Mistelle (Mixture of unfermented grape juice and brandy)
3. Flavouring agents – macerated or infused in alcohol.
The ordinary wine of two or three years is mixed with mistelle and the
flavouring ingredients infused or macerated in alcohol.
 The wine mixture is blended thoroughly in large tanks.
It is then fined, filtered, pasteurized and then refrigerated to crystallize any
remaining tartrates and to collect at the bottom of the tank.
Vermouth is allowed to rest for a short while before bottling. It is drunk young
as it does not mature in the bottle.
Four basic styles of Vermouth
Styles Features
Dry Vermouth It is termed as French vermouth. Produced from dry

white wine, flavoured, and fortified. Light yellow to
gold in colour
Sweet Vermouth It is also known as Italian vermouth. Reddish brown
in colour, made from white wine, flavoured, fortified
and coloured with caramel
Bianco It is straw coloured, sweet vermouth. Sweetened with
Mistelle or Sugar
Rose Vermouth It is less sweet than Bianco and coloured with
Caramel.
Popular brands of Vermouth
Dry Sweet Bitter Sweet
Martini Cinzano Red Punt-e- Mes
Chambery Martini Bianco
Torella Martini Rosso
Cinzano Cinzano Bianco
Noilly Prat Martini Rose
Noilly Prat Red
Chambery
This variety of dry vermouth is made in the foothills of the Alps at Savoie.
It was given the Appellation d Órigine Controlee status in 1932. Herbs found
in the Chambery region are used in the production.
Chamberyzette
It is made in Savoy Alps of France, dry flavoured with wild strawberries.
Punt-e- Mes
It is produced in Turin, dark brown in Colour, heavily flavoured with quinine.
It is very high contrasts of Bitterness and sweetness.
Carpano
Similar to Punt-e-mas, but less bitter.
Service of Vermouth
Pour a 3 measure of chilled Vermouth in a Paris Goblet and serve with ice,
soda water, tonic water or Lemonade.
Vermouth is served as aperitif. Americans prefer vermouth before the meal.
It is also used in many cocktail preparations. A slice of lemon is used as
garnish for dry cocktails and cherry for sweet cocktails.
Other Aromatized Wines
Some other aromatized wine are as follows:
Dubonnet (It is from France.)
Flavoured with quinine and herbs and available in two varieties:
Blonde (white) Rouge (Red).
St. Raphael
Bitter-sweet drink, flavoured

with quinine and herbs, it is
available in red and white.
It is from France.
Lillet
Made from white Bordeaux
wine and flavoured with citrus
fruit peels and herbs and
fortified with Armagnac, it is
aged in Casks.
It is also from France.
Byrrh
It is from France and has a base of
red wine and brandy and flavoured
with quinine and herbs.
Cap Corse
It is a wine, flavoured with quinine

and herbs. It is produced in Corsica.
These aromatized wines are served
the same way as Vermouth.
The alcoholic content of vermouth
and other aromatized wines ranges
from 14 to 20%.
Bitters
Bitters are spirits flavoured with herbs, bark, roots, spices and fruits.
All the bitters are bitter in taste, thus making them perfect for aperitif.
There are two types of bitters- flavoured and beverage bitters.
Flavourers are used in minute quantity to flavour cocktails such as angostura,
peach, and orange bitters.
Beverage bitters are drunk neat or with ice, water, soda, or tonic water.
Among the beverage bitters, Campari is the best known.
There are many bitters available in the market.
Following are some of the bitters that can be served as aperitifs
Amer Picon
It is a French bitter which is pink-
red in colour having the flavour of
quinine, gentian, orange peel and
herbs. It is usually served with
soda or water with lemon and ice.
Campari
It is a red colour bitter from Italy
having unique combination of
flavours of herbs, spices, orange
peel and quinine.
It is an excellent aperitif, served
with ice and soda water.
Frenet Branca
It is an Italian bitter, flavoured
with approximately 40 herbs and
spices including myrrh, rhubarb,
chamomile, cardamom and
saffron in a base of white wine
and brandy.
It is taken as aperitif either neat
or with soda.
It is taken as cure for hangovers.
Mint-flavoured Fernet Branca is
also available in the market
which is called Branca Menta.
Cynar
It is an Italian Bitter prepared from
artichokes and herbs.
It is served with soda water and a
twist of lemon or oranges.
It is also served with tonic water
and orange juice.
Jagermeister
It is a dark brown bitter from
Germany having the flavour of
roots, herbs and spices.
Underberg
It is a German bitter, having the
base of Brandy and flavour of
herbs.
It looks and taste like iodine. It is
available in single nip portion
which is meant for taking as a
‘pick-me-up’(Swallow in one
gulp).
It can be taken with soda or iced
water.
Angostura Bitters
It got its name from a town in
Venezuela.
It is produced from rum in Trinidad.
It is brownish red in colour,
flavoured with gentian, vegetable
extracts and spices.
It is often used in preparation of Pink
gin and some cocktails as flavouring
agent.
Suze Becherovka
It is a bright yellow bitter from
It is aniseed and cinnamon flavoured
France, flavoured with gentian and
bitter, clear from Czechoslovakia
herbs. It can be drunk neat, with ice,
or taken with tonic water or orange
juice.
Gammeldansk Orange bitters
It is from Denmark, flavoured It is a spirit, flavoured with orange
with roots, berries and spices peels- used in cocktail making.
Peach Bitters
It is a spirit, flavoured with
peaches used for flavouring
cocktails.
Bitters can be served neat, with
ice soda or tonic water.
However, some guests like them
with orange juice, cola and cassis
or grenadine syrup

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APERITIFS

Dry Vermouth It is termed as French vermouth. Produced from dry

Bitter-sweet drink, flavoured

It is a wine, flavoured with quinine

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