About Aperitifs
Introduced in 1846, aperitif is an alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite and also facilitate the digestion.
There is no single alcoholic drink that is always served as an aperitif.
You can find traditional aperitif from different regions of France.
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Vermouth is an aromatized, fortified wine flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices).
The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid to late 18th century in Turin, Italy. While vermouth was traditionally used for medicinal purposes, its true claim to fame is as an aperitif.
However, in the late 19th century it became popular with bartenders as a key ingredient in many classic cocktails including the Martini, the Manhattan, and the Negroni.
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Pastis is an anise and botanical flavoured spirit and aperitif from France limited to a maximum of 45% ABV.
Pastis was first commercialized by Paul Ricard in 1932 and enjoys substantial popularity in France, especially in the south-eastern regions of the country, mostly Marseille.
Pastis emerged some 17 years after the ban on absinthe, during a time when the French nation was still apprehensive of high-proof anise drinks in the wake of the absinthe debacle.
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Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic (45–74% ABV) beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium (“grand wormwood”), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Absinthe traditionally has a natural green colour but may also be colourless. It is commonly referred to in historical literature as “la fée verte” (the green fairy). Water from a beautiful absinthe fountain is poured slowly over a lump of sugar on a perforated spoon sitting on top of a heavy crystal glass with 30ml of absinthe.
The best absinthe are from Jura (French or Swiss) where they continued secret production during all the 90 years when it was illegal and then kept their knowhow!
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Mistelle is produced by adding grape alcohol to non-fermented or partially fermented grape juice. Generally by law the alcohol must be of the same local origin as the grape, therefore “Pineau des Charentes” is cognac + freshly pressed grape juice, “Floc de Gascogne” is Armagnac + freshly pressed grape juice, “Pommeau de Normandy” is calvados + freshly pressed apple juice, “Macvin du Jura”, “ Ratafia de Champagne” “ Ratafia de Bourgogne” etc, etc.
The addition of alcohol stops the fermentation and, therefore Mistelle is sweeter than fully fermented grape juice in which all the sugars turn to alcohol.
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A bitter is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavoured with botanical matter such that the end result is characterized by a bitter, sour, or bittersweet flavour. Numerous longstanding brands of bitters were originally developed as patent medicines but are now sold as digestives and cocktail flavourings. The best bitters are obtained by using the plant which has the most elegant definition of bitterness i.e. the Gentian. Cinchona ( Quinine ) is also preferred, against Dandelion, Artichoke, etc.
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