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The aperitivo is practically an institution in Italy. An early evening drink, the aperitivo is supposed to stimulate the appetite before dinner, as compared to the digestivo, a drink supposed to help with digestion after dinner. While this sounds as if Italians use any old excuse to enjoy a nice drink — and why not? — the aperitivo is much more a s...

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Whoever studies the history of medicine finds L’Orvietan,” says Lamberto Bernardini. In his laboratory in Orvieto, Italy, a medieval hill town famous for its soaring duomo, that history is all around. Bernardini’s vaulted, frescoed space dates to the 1200s. One of the rooms in his lab is a museum-like space filled with historic books and framed ant...

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Not sure about you, but I had an absolute humdinger of a holiday season: Between all the roasts and cakes, and punches and nogs, I am, even two-plus weeks later, in desperate need of a digestivo or two. What’s a digestivo (or if you prefer le français, digestif), you may ask? It’s any after-dinner drink — from sambuca to cognac — that’s supposed to...

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We've all heard of the Negroni — the bright cocktail made with gin, sweet red vermouth and Campari — and its distant cousin cocktail the "Negroni sbagliato." Bars around the globe offer the original cocktail and plenty of variations — Dante, a New York City institution that's among the Top 50 World's Best Bars, even offers a full Negroni menu at it...

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Never mind the season, it’s always a good time to have aperitivo with friends. A great way to end the day or the working week in good company, this quintessentially Italian habit has become pretty popular around the world, where it’s also known as “happy hour.” We Italians tend to enjoy our end-of-the-day drinks with finger food of all kinds, which...

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The concept of going to a bar, and the definition of the bar itself, is very different in Italy from that held in any Anglo-Saxon or Northern European country. A bar in Italy‘s a place for refreshments, where one can have a quick breakfast in the morning, usually consisting of a coffee or cappuccino (strictly drunk in the AM) and a croissant. Throu...

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Whether you're hosting a large dinner party or just cooking for yourself, every dinner can be enhanced with the addition of an aperitif. Aperitifs are meant to be drunk before dinner, and they're characteristically dry with low alcohol content, perfect for serving on their own or mixed into delicious, refreshing cocktails (via Advanced Mixology). T...

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Once associated with peasants, Grappa has drifted from its modest origins. Today, the spirit is common at Italian dinner tables of all stripes. Grappa’s evolution is a result of both tradition and reinvention, as modern distillers work to refine their products for generations to come. Though its role in modern drinking culture is still progressing,...

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No, there's no one named Don that Don Angie, a New York City-based restaurant known for its lasagna and other Italian-style cuisine, was named after. Rather, as Angie Rito explained on "Late Night with Seth Myers," the restaurant's first name simply refers to the traditional Italian sign of respect. As in: "I'm the Don. I'm the boss." Actually, Rit...

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In Italy, holiday traditions are deeply intertwined with drinks culture, intersecting as a means of connection and sharing. “Many Italians live outside their hometown for work and return for the holidays, so getting together for drinks before or after big family meals is a daily ritual,” says author and Italian culture expert Katie Parla. Although...

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