The 411 on Digestifs and Aperitifs

Have you ever been to a fancy restaurant where after your meal, they come out with what looks like a little after-dinner shot for you? 

This is not too common in the U.S.; I experienced it for the first time in Greece and was mightily confused. But I have started to see this more and more now in the US, especially in slightly upper scale restaurants or in Euro-themed restaurants. 

Well, that little after-dinner shot is not a shot (so don’t shoot it! You’ll probably regret it and they’ll give you odd looks.) It’s actually a digestif. 

It’s one of two very similar categories for liqueurs usually consumed around mealtime. 

So this week, let’s dive into digestifs and aperitifs; the what, when, why, and what makes them different. 

The What

The bare minimum definitions, is that both aperitifs and digestifs are alcoholic drinks usually served before and after a meal, respectively. 

As I was researching, I saw many - rather intense and funny - debates about the differences between the two. A lot of times it was what drinks fall into what categories, but mostly the argument was over which one is the pre-dinner term and which was is the post-dinner term. 

So here’s a few fun ways to remember which one’s which:

Aperitifs

Perhaps one way to remember, is to recall that A comes before D in the alphabet, so aperitifs come before digestifs in the dinner lineup. 

Or, remember that aperitifs are drank before dinner to stimulate your appetite. 

If you’re a linguist at heart, you can also contemplate that the term “aperitif” comes to English through the French word “aperire,” which means “to open.” So you are opening or starting the meal. 

What is considered an aperitif is quite an open category. Generally speaking, they are certain cocktails or dry white wines. They are meant to stimulate hunger and prepare you tastebuds for dinner. Typically, they are a bit lower in alcohol than digestifs and are not filling.  

Some common ingredients are gin, vermouth, fruit, and especially, a bittering component. That last one is particularly important as bitters are said to be so good at whetting an appetite. 

So, an example of a cocktail that combines many of those ingredients would be the Negroni; this is a common aperitif in both France and Italy. A Manhattan with sweet vermouth would be another great example, as would the classic Martini. 

If you’re not a cocktail person, but would still like to partake, Champagne or Prosecco are common wine options. Really, anything light and dry would do, think Muscadet or Sauv Blanc as examples. 

So the rules are: keep it light, non-filling, slightly bitter or drying, and slightly lower in alcohol. Also note, they are normally served cold. 

Digestifs

Remember, these are the after dinner drinks, and the easiest way to remember this is that digestifs help you digest your meal. This is also a French to English word, and it’s pretty obvious what the root word is. 

Now, apparently there are two main types of digestifs, and they’re quite different. This surprised me because when I think of a digestif, I think of something herbaly and bitter. Something like Fernet-Branca or an Amaro. 

These bitter options come from the idea that a digestif is supposed to help settle your stomach after a heavy meal, so a common ingredient is ginger and/or other herbs with medicinal qualities. (And if you’ve ever had Fernet-Branca… well it tastes medicinal.)

However, the other big category is sweet post-dinner drinks. This of something like port or even Kahlua. Contemplating this more, it makes sense since many people essentially use their digestif as their dessert. 

It also makes sense given digestif commonalities are that they have higher alcohol and higher sugars. 

Some particularly common digestifs are: brandy (most commonly Cognac), fortified wines (such as port or Oloroso sherry), bitter liqueurs (Amari, Fernet, Bénédictine), and sweet liqueurs (Amaretto, Drambuie, Sambuca).

I’m also going to make up another category that’s termed “highly alcoholic”, which would include the likes of grappa and limoncello. 

So the rules for digests are: higher alcohol content, higher sugars, served at room temperature, drank neat. 

Pick Your Poison

After writing this article I think I’ve typed out more alcohol names and types than any other piece I’ve written! And I feel as though you should take that to mean, if you follow the general guidelines, almost anything can be an aperitif or digestif. 

So pick your poison, try something new for the hell it, and have dinner the right way… with alcohol before and after. 

Weekly Adventure

Although most restaurants in the US don’t just come ‘round the table with pre-poured aperitifs and digestifs for free, many of them do have them on the menu. So next time you’re out for a nice meal, I’d suggest having one of each. And pay attention! Did the aperitif make you a bit more peckish? Does your tummy feel settled after a bitter pour of fernet? Do you hate yourself for trying fernet? 

I kid, I kid. 

But really, have some fun and elongate your next meal with some delicious new tries. 

Cheers,

Molly

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ap%C3%A9ritif_and_digestif

https://cliquelv.com/aperitifs-digestifs-everything-need-know/

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/digestif-vs-aperitif

https://www.britannica.com/topic/aperitif

https://www.tastefrance.com/us/magazine/article/5-major-differences-between-aperitif-and-digestif