Well, for an Italian meal you always need to have an aperitivo served right before the main meals. But this aperitivo meal is actually not done quite right by many! You need to know how to structure a proper aperitivo with just the right types of drinks complemented with those foods to nibble. A glass of wonderful Brachetto served with those nuts and olives is all that’s needed to get the party started.

Drinks

Well, like all drinks even aperitivo is divided into two categories – alcolici (alcoholic), and analcolici (non-alcoholic) drinks.

For the non-alcoholic drinks, one can serve any soft drink or fresh fruit juices. To add variety you can have lots of mocktails to slurp on.

And if you want some alcoholic aperitivo you are lucky enough. An extensive range of drinks is available for you to enjoy. Like a typical Italian you can choose Campari as your aperitivo. Then there is Aperol and so many other drinks based on these two.

There is the famous Negroni which is basically gin, vermouth, and Campari.  The Americano is another famous drink but uses soda instead of gin. You can have the Aperol Spritz as another aperitivo in the menu.

Wine is the Italian evergreen drink and of course, makes a classic aperitivo. You have the Prosecco (sparkling white wine), Spumante (a sweet or dry sparkling white wine), Fragolino (a sweet sparkling red wine), Brachetto (sweet, sparkling red wine) that are good choices of aperitivo. 

Have a glass of prosecco served with the right aperitivo foods to set the mood.

Foods

What a proper aperitivo consists of is an appropriate selection of nibbles tray served right with the drinks. You can have some bowls of nuts and olives served or try offering a plate of stuzzichini or canape. 

Or you can even add your own twists to these aperitivos. Have a plate of cheese and salumi served along with the nuts and olives. Or you can even try your hands on some crostini making up the perfect aperitivo platter. Try adding something fried for the guests who want to try something apart from the conventional aperitivo tastes. Those beautifully done garlic fritters are an amazing choice. Go for polpette di trippa or some delicious tripe meatballs to add the variety. And like done in Venice, have those vinegar soaked sarde in saor on a slice of baguette.

These foods are just what your aperitivo menu wants on itself!