Semester iii - aperitifs!

compilation by ashish m. dighe

Aperitifs
Aperitif means to open or drinks served at the start of a meal or before the meal to stimulate the appetite. Aperitifs can be classied into the following types. 1. Bitters 2. Fortied Wines 3. Aromatized Wines 4. Absinthe and Pastis

BITTERS
Once known as elixirs, bitters are spirits avored 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 avored 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 avored 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 rst made in 1866. It has a base of red wine and brandy and is avored 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 avor 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 rst 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

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 avored 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 - USA 2. Amora Montenegro, China Martini, Radis and Unicum - Italy 3. Boonekamp and Welling - Holland.

FORTIFIED WINES served as aperitifs

SHERRY and PORT Fortied 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.

Semester iii - aperitifs!

compilation by ashish m. dighe

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 WINES
Vermouths are aromatized wines that have been fortied. 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 avorings (herbs, roots, bark, owers 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:
1

Detailed in their own individual chapters.

Semester iii - aperitifs!

compilation by ashish m. dighe

DRY Martini Dry Cinzano Dry Chambery Noilly Prat

SWEET Cinzano Bianco Cinzano Red Martini Sweet Red Noilly Prat Red Punt E Mes

Other aromatized wines: Dubonnet - Modern versions have a wine base avored 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 fortied with Armagnac brandy. Suze - Suze is a bright yellow French aperitif avored with gentian and herbs. It is bitter in avor 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.

Semester iii - aperitifs!

compilation by ashish m. dighe

ABSINTHE & PASTIS

Absinthe 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 avorings 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 avored aperitifs made in he style of absinthe but without the high alcohol content or the wormwood avoring. 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 avored 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 avor and is distilled from a variety of herbs.

SERVICE OF APERITIFS
Bitters - 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.

Semester iii - aperitifs!

compilation by ashish m. dighe

Fortied 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. Fortied 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 fortied 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. Fo r dry

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.