Bartending For Dummies, 6th Edition
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Aperitif comes from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open.” An aperitif is usually any type of drink a bartender would serve before a meal. Most aperitifs are usually low in alcohol and mild-tasting.

You can drink many cordials and liqueurs listed later as aperitifs as well. Here are the individual products that are available:

  • Amer Picon (French): A blend of African oranges, gentian root, quinine bark, and some alcohol. Usually served with club soda or seltzer water with lemon.

  • Campari (Italian): A unique combination of fruits, spices, herbs, and roots.

  • Cynar (Italian): A bittersweet aperitif that's made from artichokes. Best when served over ice with a twist of lemon or orange.

  • Dubonnet (American): Produced in California and available in blond and red. Serve chilled.

  • Fernet-Branca (Italian): A bitter, aromatic blend of approximately 40 herbs and spices (including myrrh, rhubarb, camomile, cardamom, and saffron) in a base of grape alcohol. Mint-flavored Fernet-Branca is also available. It's called Branca Menta.

  • Jägermeister (German): Composed of 56 botanicals, including citrus peel, aniseed, licorice, poppy seeds, saffron, ginger, juniper berries, and ginseng.

  • Lillet (French): Made in Bordeaux from a blend of 85 percent fine Bordeaux wines and 15 percent fruit liqueurs. Lillet Blanc is made from sauvignon blanc and semillon and has a golden color. Lillet Rouge is made from merlot and cabernet sauvignon and has a ruby-red color.

  • Pernod (French): Comes from the essence of badiane (anise star) and from a spirit made from natural herbs, such as mint and balm.

  • Punt e Mes (Italian): Vermouth with bitters and other botanicals added.

  • Ricard (French): Made from anise, fennel (green anise), licorice, and other Provençal herbs.

  • Suze (French): French bitters distilled from gentian root. Gentian is a large, originally wild flower with golden petals that's grown in the Auvergne and Jura regions.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Ray Foley is the founder and editor of BARTENDER Magazine. A consultant to some of the United States’ top distillers and importers, he is responsible for creating and naming new drinks for the liquor industry.

Ray Foley is the founder and editor of BARTENDER Magazine. A consultant to some of the United States’ top distillers and importers, he is responsible for creating and naming new drinks for the liquor industry.

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