Aperitif and digestif, both two of our favorite cocktail moments. You know why? Because they are both connected to another thing we like to link with delicious drinks: dinner! All in all, this makes a perfect evening to gather your friends and enjoy a lovely summer evening filled with good food and amazing cocktails.
Stimulate that appetite
An aperitif is a drink usually served to get that stomach going. Accompanied by some small canapes, your appetite will be stimulated so you will ready to dig in on the feast after. The best aperitif is usually dry, rather than sweet. Think about champagne, white wine or a dry cocktail like the Elderflower Spritz.
The word ‘aperitif’ is a French word derived from the Latin verb ‘aperire’, meaning ‘open’. Some sources say that the aperitifs have existed since at least the fifth century, but the real aperitif as we know it these days was introduced by Turin distiller Antonio Carpano who invented vermouth.
The perfect aperitif cocktail
Enough about the past, let’s fast forward to modern times. Imagine yourself on a warm summery late afternoon, craving for that delicious cocktail to close off your busy workday. That’s the perfect aperitif moment nowadays! Get yourself some olives, nuts or other small snacks and pour yourself the drink that you deserve. And together with some friends, you will enjoy your aperitif moment even more!
Our favorite cocktail to serve as an aperitif is the Elderflower Spritz. The floral, sweet notes of the Bols Elderflower liqueur balances out perfectly with the somewhat bitter prosecco and soda water. This makes the cocktail not too sweet, not too bitter, so a signature aperitif cocktail. The best thing of it all, you don’t need high-level bartending skills to create the Elderflower Spritz. Just pour all the ingredients in a large copa or wine glass filled with ice, stir and garnish with a lime wheel. Adding a mint sprig to give your cocktail an extra fresh touch.
Check out the full recipe here!
And if you are really feeling lazy or if you are enjoying the aperitif cocktails somewhere else, get ready to enjoy Elderflower Spritz in handy cocktail cans.
After dinner delight
Dinner is over and it’s time to sit back, relax and get that digestion going. This is the moment to bring out the digestifs. There are many styles of digestifs, but they are often characterized by a high alcohol content with a deep, rich flavor profile. It can be drunk next to dessert, instead of a dessert or even after a dessert. For example, it’s common to drink it next to your coffee, which some of us might love after a heavy meal. But why not mix your beloved coffee into a digestif and make a delicious Espresso Martini?
Get yourself that double kick
Invented by bartender Dick Bradsell, the Espresso Martini was designed to get a certain young supermodel up and running again. And the Espresso Martini sure does get you back up your feet! The delicious combination of Bols Coffee liqueur, Bols Vodka and freshly brewed espresso gives this cocktail a double kick. One from caffeine and the second from vodka. These two powerhouses are joined in harmony by the Bols Coffee and sugar syrup. This makes the Espresso Martini an endless fascination cocktail and a perfect drink as a digestive.
The Espresso Martini is easy to create at home. Just make sure you have something you can shake the cocktail in and have enough martini glasses to serve all your friends. Pour all the ingredients into the shaker, fill it with ice cubes and give it a firm shake. Strain into the glass(es) and garnish with three coffee beans.
Don’t feel like shaking yourself? No worries! Check out our super handy tubes or multi-serve bottles with delicious ready to enjoy Espresso Martini cocktails.
Now that sounds like the perfect evening with friends or other loved ones, right? And aperitif, dinner or digestif are not the only moments to have or serve cocktails. Get even more cocktail inspiration on our Cocktail Moment page and pick your favorite!
