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   Apéritifs found in House & Home  :  Food, Drink & Cooking  :  Drinks & Mixology A   A   A
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Types of Apéritifs

An apéritif is an apéritif not because of what it contains but because of when it’s drunk— before a meal. Though many apéritifs are made from liqueurs, they can also be made using liquor or bitters.

Alcohol content for each liqueur described in the following sections is given as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV). For the product’s proof, double the ABV. Prices are approximate and are based on 750ml bottles unless otherwise noted.

Liquor-Based Apéritifs

Apéritifs can be made with a variety of liquors, including brandy, vodka, gin, and others. The liquors most commonly used in apéritifs, though, are fortified wines—in particular, dry sherry and red vermouth. Both may be sipped neat (straight) or used to make cocktails that are drunk as apéritifs.
  • Sherry (dry): Sherry can be either sweet or dry—dry sherry is typically drunk as an apéritif. Dry sherries include the Spanish fino-style sherries, such as manzanilla, which are very pale and dry, as well as the slighter darker and sweeter amontillado sherry. Some California sherries may also be dry. Spanish brands including Tío Pepe, Dios Baco, and Lustau are priced from $15–20 per liter, whereas California sherries from Taylor, Fairbanks, and Christian Brothers can cost as little as $6 a liter. 15–22% ABV.
  • Vermouth (Red): Vermouth Rosso, or red vermouth, is much sweeter and more herby than the dry white vermouth used for making martinis and other cocktails. Brands include Cinzano, Stock, Martini & Rossi, Noilly Prat. 17% ABV; $8–16 (1 liter).

Liqueur-Based Apéritifs

Many apéritifs are made from liqueurs—the most popular liqueurs include Chambord, Cointreau, Jägermeister, pastis, Pernod, Pimm’s No.1, sambuca, schnapps, Southern Comfort, and Tuaca. Other liqueurs that are often served as apéritifs or mixed with other ingredients to make apéritifs include:

 
Name
  
Description
Carpano Punt e Mes
  
This dressed-up, less sweet version of red vermouth is rich with the aromas of wormwood and bitter herbs. A versatile liqueur, Punt e Mes can be served straight up, over ice, or mixed with club soda or a range of spirits. 16% ABV; $18.
Dubonnet
  
Once the preferred drink of the French Foreign Legion, wine-based Dubonnet is now one the world’s best-selling apéritifs. Dubonnet Rouge, made with red wine, is flavored with spices and cinchona (quinine) bark. Its drier, white wine–based counterpart—Dubonnet Blanc—has an herbier taste. Tradi­tionally mixed with lemonade, Dubonnet is also a popular cocktail ingredient. 18% ABV; $12.
Lillet
  
This apéritif from the French village of Podensac is a blend of wine, brandy, herbs, and fruit. Lillet Blanc is based on white wine, whereas Lillet Rouge is based on cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Traditionally served over ice with a twist of orange or lime, Lillet is also added to cocktails. 17% ABV; $18.
RinQuinQuin
  
This traditional peach apéritif from Provence is produced by Henri Bardouin. Fruity yet mellow, it’s made by infusing sweet peaches and peach leaves in a neutral spirit, then blending the infusion with white wine, citrus oil, and sugar. It can be served chilled, on the rocks, or mixed with club soda as a spritzer. 15% ABV; $16.
 
(For more on all of these liqueurs, see the Quamut guide to Liqueurs & Liqueur Drinks.)

Bitters-Based Apéritifs

Bitters are a type of bitter- or bittersweet-tasting spirit made by dissolving herbs, roots, or other plant material in alcohol. Ingredients commonly used to make bitters include gentian root, Chinese rhubarb root, cinchona bark (the source of quinine), the leaves of the artichoke plant, and dried peels of bitter orange. Also used to add flavor to cooking and as a digestive aid or remedy for mild stomach maladies, bitters are predominantly used to flavor cocktails—apéritifs and digestifs in particular.

When using bitters in a cocktail, be careful not to add more than the recipe suggests, as bitters can easily overpower and ruin a drink. Also avoid using bitters to flavor anything that’s meant to be nonalcoholic, as many bitters have quite a high alcohol content—often 40% ABV or more. Some of the most popular bitters used to make apéritifs include:

 
Name
  
Description
Becherovka
  
This Czech bitters was formulated in 1807 by apothecary Josef Becher, who later turned its production over to his son Johann (Jan Becher is the name on the label). More than 30 herbs go into the mix, but the flavors of licoricey anise seed and cinnamon dominate. 38% ABV; $28.
Campari
  
Deep red in color, Campari contains more than 60 bitter herbs, aromatics, and fruits. It was first created by Gaspare Campari in northern Italy in 1860. Campari and club soda is a classic apéritif, and Campari is also a key ingredient in the Negroni cocktail. 24% ABV; $20.
Cynar
  
Leaves of the artichoke plant, Cynara scolymus, are the main ingredient in this low-alcohol Italian bitters. Arguably an acquired taste, Cynar also contains a dozen more aromatic plants and herbs. 16.5% ABV; $18.
Fernet-Branca
  
This potent Italian bitters, which dates from 1845, is made from more than 40 herbs and spices, with menthol and cardamom notes coming to the fore. It is typically drunk neat or added to cola or coffee. Mixed with mineral water, it becomes an apéritif. Fernet-Branca Menta is the mint-flavored version. 42% ABV; $20.
Gammel Dansk
  
The distillers of Denmark’s favorite bitters keep the full recipe under lock and key, but some ingredients are known. Among the sharp-tasting aromatics in Gammel Dansk are rowanberry (fruit of the mountain ash), laurel, Seville orange, gentian root, angelica, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. 38% ABV; $23.
 

Condiment Bitters

These alcoholic condiments, which come in 4- to 10-ounce bottles, are used to flavor cocktails. Most recipes call for two or three drops, or dashes, in a cocktail.
  • Angostura bitters: This famous condiment, developed in 1824 in Venezuela and now made in Trinidad, is purported to contain more than 40 rare tropical herbs and spices. 45% ABV; $7 (4 ounces).
  • Peychaud’s bitters: This New Orleans specialty—slightly sweet and slightly licoricey—has a gentian root base. 35% ABV; $5 (5 ounces).
 
 
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