aperitifs

AperitifsAperitif means ‘to open’ or drinks served at the start of a meal or before the meal to stimulate the appetite.Aperitifs can be classified into the following types.1. Bitters2. Fortified Wines3. Aromatized Wines4. Absinthe and Pastis

BITTERSOnce known as elixirs, bitters are spirits flavored with herbs, bark, roots and fruits resulting from both the infusion and distillation process. They have one thing in common - bitterness - and they all have stomachic qualities, which is why they are drunk as an aperitif, digestif or correctif. The following list covers some well know bitters.

• Amer Picon - Invented in 1835, it is pink-red in color and flavored with quinine, herbs and orange peel. It has a wine and brandy base and is usually served with ice and water.

• Angostura - Takes its name from a town in Venezuela. However it is no longer produced there but in Trinidad. It is made from a rum base and flavored with gentian and vegetable spices. It is an essential ingredient for making Pink Gin and Champagne cocktails.

• Byrrh - Pronounced as beer, this style of bitter was first made in 1866. It has a base of red wine and brandy and is flavored with quinine and a variety of herbs.

• Campari - One of the most favored bitters and an excellent aperitif, it is usually served with ice and soda. The drink needs to be stirred or the ingredients may stay separate. When combined with sweet red vermouth it forms the refreshing Americano cocktail. It is pink and has a slight flavor of orange peel and quinine. The recipe is secret but it contains herbs and spirit and is oak aged.

• Fernet Branca - This popular ‘pick-me-up’ was first evolved in 1845. It includes ingredients like ginger and Chinese rhubarb which are macerated in white wine and

Semester iii - aperitifs! compilation by ashish m. dighe

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brandy. It has a reputation for dispersing hangovers, but in Italy it is drunk as an aperitif, either neat or with soda.

• Underberg -A German herb flavored bitter with a brandy base. It has been popular as an aperitif or a digestif for well over a century. It is marketed in single nip portions to be swallowed in one gulp. For a more relaxing drink soda water may be added.

There are other well known brands of bitters available. They are mostly considered as a ‘morning after the night before’ drinks and generally made more palatable by the minor addition of creme de cassis or grenadine. Some examples are 1. Abbots, Peychaud - USA2. Amora Montenegro, China Martini, Radis and Unicum - Italy3. Boonekamp and Welling - Holland.

FORTIFIED WINES served as aperitifsSHERRY and PORTFortified wines such as sherry, port, Madeira, Marsala and Malaga are wines which have been strengthened by the addition of alcohol, usually a grape spirit. These are known within the EU as liqueur wines or vins de liqueur.

Alcoholic strength may be between 15% and 22% by volume.


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Styles of Sherry1

Fino (dry), Amontillado (medium), Manzanilla (very dry), Oloroso (sweet), Palo Cortado (dry)and Almacenista (dry).

Styles of Port1

Aperitif White port (very dry)

AROMATIZED WINESVermouths are aromatized wines that have been fortified. The basic wine is of ordinary quality and blended to a set style. Other ingredients include mistelle (unfermented grape juice with the addition of brandy), various flavorings (herbs, roots, bark, flowers and quinine) and sugar as sweetening.

Styles of Vermouth1

Dry vermouth, Sweet vermouth (bianco), Rose vermouth, Red vermouth, Chambery, Chamberyzette, Punt E Mes.The main types of dry sweet vermouth sold under their trade names are:


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1 Detailed in their own individual chapters.

DRY SWEET

Martini Dry Cinzano Bianco

Cinzano Dry Cinzano Red

Chambery Martini Sweet Red

Noilly Prat Noilly Prat Red

Punt E Mes

Other aromatized wines:Dubonnet - Modern versions have a wine base flavored with quinine and bitter herbs with additions of mistelle and spirit. This popular aperitif may be blonde (white) or rouge (red).Lillet - A favorite in France, Lillet is made from white Bordeaux wine, herbs and fruit peel and fortified with Armagnac brandy.Suze - Suze is a bright yellow French aperitif flavored with gentian and herbs. It is bitter in flavor with supposedly digestive properties.Pineau des Charentes - This is an increasingly popular sweet aperitif from the Cognac area. Pineau is a heady mixture of Cognac and grape juice.


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ABSINTHE & PASTISAbsinthe was invented in the 18th century by Dr. Ordinaire, a French physician and pharmacist who had taken up residence in Couvet, Switzerland. His drink had a base of brandy and flavorings of herbs, anise and wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). It was a very potent drink, being usually bottled at 68% ABV. Drunk neat, the combination of strong alcohol and wormwood was lethal and had a devastating effect on the mental health. So much so that it was banned in Switzerland in 1907, in the US in

1912 and in France in 1915. However, it is still made legally and commercially in Tarragona, Spain by the Pernod family who acquired the recipe in 1797.Pastis is the generic name for aniseed or licorice flavored aperitifs made in he style of absinthe but without the high

alcohol content or the wormwood flavoring. Most of these drinks are colorless but go opalescent or

milky when water is added through the precipitation of the volatile oils.Some examples of Pastis are:

Ouzo - A pastis Greek in origin that may be described as an aniseed flavored brandy. Pernod - French in origin, it is a clear liquid obtained my means of distillation of oils. Ricard - A pastis French in origin which has an aniseed

flavor and is distilled from a variety of herbs.

SERVICE OF APERITIFSBitters - Usually served with water or soda in a 2:1 proportion or on the rocks. Use a 6 out measure on ice and add soda or iced water. Served in a Paris goblet or Highball glass.


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Fortified wines - (Sherry) - Fino, Amontillado and Manzanilla sherries are best served chilled or on the rocks. Other styles may include straight from the bottle, ideally into a copita - the traditional sherry glass.Fortified wines - (Port) - The better ports are normally served as an after-meal drink. They are usually served in a port or Dock glass and rarely chilled. Lesser ports can be served by themselves as aperitifs or mixed with lemonade as in port and lemon. White ports are served chilled much in the same way as dry sherry but also sometimes with the addition of ice and a lemon slice. Other fortified wines are served in the same way but in a Paris Goblet or other stemmed glass. Drier varieties are usually served chilled.Aromatized wines - Use a Paris goblet or a cocktail glass. Serve a 3 out measure either chilled or with ice, soda water, tonic water or lemonade. A lemon slice is the garnish for drier

varieties and a cherry on a cocktail stick for the sweet styles.

F o r d r y

vermouths, especially Martini, a twist of lemon may be used and/or an olive on a cocktail stick.

Pastis - Usually should be served with iced water in a Paris goblet or a Highball glass. The usual

proportion is three parts water to one part of pastis, but extra water may be added if it is preferred weaker.

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