Apéritif

By Deane Barker

Definition: a cocktail served before a meal, supposedly to increase appetite.

I read several lists of apéritifs, and it seems almost any cocktail counts. The point is that it’s served before the meal, so it’s kind of a “liquid appetizer.”

The same thing, served after the meal, it called a “digestif,” and it’s supposedly a tool to aid digestion.

(Honestly, both of these just seem like reasons to take another drink.)

Why I Looked It Up

I don’t remember. I’ve encountered the word for years. I thought it was another word for a traditional appetizer.