These are the appetizers of the spirits world. The word comes from the Latin amperire, “to open up,” as in to open up your palate and prep your digestive system for a fine meal. As a category, aperitifs cast a wide net, encompassing everything from the Aperol spritz to the Negroni to a small glass of Cava to a Pastis. Typically it’s something dry and a little bit bitter, light and maybe bubbly.
"AN APPROACH TO SOCIAL DRINKING THAT LEADS TO DEEPER CONNECTIONS"
The way third-generation winemakers Helena and Woody Hambrecht tell it, this is how Europeans have been drinking forever. And it’s why they created their own unique low-ABV aperitif spirit, Haus. “Aperitif culture is a way of drinking,” Helena told me, an approach to social drinking that leads to deeper connections throughout th...