Apéritif By Deane Barker • January 26, 2022 • 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.