Apéritif

Alternate meaning: Aperitif (record label)

An apéritif is an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetiser before a large meal. It is often served with something small to eat, like olives or biscuits.

The word comes from the Latin verb aperire, which means to open, because an apéritif indeed opens the meal.

History

Apéritifs first became truly popular in the late 19th century, in Europe. By 1900, having an apéritif before a meal was very common in the United States, too.

However, there is no definite origin of the apéritif, with some saying that the concept of drinking a small amount of alcohol before a meal dates back to Ancient Egyptian times.

Types of apéritif

There is no one particular type of alcohol that is always used for apéritifs, though liqueurs are common.

One of the most common apéritifs is sherry.

The particular type varies from region to region: for example, in Greece, ouzo is a common apéritif, while in the United States, it would be rare to have ouzo as an apéritif.