Between 6 and 8 pm the bar belongs to people who have no plans yet. The aperitivo is the hour in which the evening is born.
The aperitivo is Italian, the principle is universal: a light, bitter or fresh drink before dinner, with something salty, standing or on a terrace, with a view of street or water. It opens the appetite and the evening, and it is the only bar hour in which you may stay two hours with one drink.
The spritz
From the Veneto, orange or red, made of prosecco, Aperol or Select and soda. In Munich you drink it standing outside Bar Centrale, in Vienna on the canal at Motto am Fluss. The recipe is with our Aperol Spritz.
The vermouth
Barcelona has its own hour: the hora del vermut, between 1 and 7 pm in the bodegas of Poble Sec and in Gràcia. Vermouth from the tap, olives, crisps, a siphon of soda. You do not drink it at night; that would be a mistake only tourists make.
The Spritzer
Vienna: white wine with soda, half and half, in summer on the Danube Canal. No Aperol, no syrup, but Grüner Veltliner and the question whether you want it summery (more soda) or normal.
The Negroni
The aperitivo for people who mean it. Bitter, strong, cold, and still a drink before dinner. At Bar Centrale in Munich and at Boadas in Barcelona it is made properly. Recipe with the Negroni.
The rules
One or two drinks, no more. Eat something, but not dinner. Standing is allowed, phones are not. And take the hour seriously: drink an aperitivo at 6 pm and you eat at 9 pm and are in the bar at 11 pm. Drink cocktails at 6 pm and you are tired at 11 pm.
Frequently asked questions
When is aperitivo time?
Between 6 and 8 pm. In Spain the vermouth hour starts as early as 1 pm.
What do you drink for aperitivo?
Spritz, vermouth, Spritzer, Negroni, Americano or a glass of white wine: light, bitter or fresh, never strong and sweet.
