Try an Aperitivo Hour

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Carpano Antica Formula and San Giuseppe Salami to bring you. As always, all opinions are mine alone.

You know that time of day where things are the most hectic? In my house it’s typically between 4:00-7:00 PM. That’s when everyone is getting home from school, homework is getting done, food is getting made, snacks are getting eaten, adults are getting in from work and it’s pretty much chaos. In our house it’s organized chaos, but it’s still a pretty hectic time of day that leaves my head spinning.

Enter the aperitivo hour.

An aperitivo is typically an alcoholic beverage consumed prior to eating a meal that stimulates the appetite. Aperitivo comes from the Latin word meaning “to open” – essentially opening your stomach so you can enjoy your upcoming meal. Typically aperitivos usually involve food as well, and I’ve come up with a super easy assortment of snacks to enjoy using both sweet and hot sopressata and prosciotto from San Giuseppe Salami, along with grapes, apples, green olives, cracked pepper water crackers and an artichoke lemon dip that I picked up from the market freshly made.

Once I had the food ready, I created two aperitivos to be paired with our snacks, so we could really enjoy aperitivo hour and prepare for our dinner. The aperitivos were two entirely different cocktails that both used the same Carpano Antica Formula – better known as the Italian Vermouth. First invented in 1786, Carpano Antica Formula stands out from all other vermouth’s thanks to its unique bouquet and unmistakable vanilla notes. I created a simple cranberry spritzer and a dry Italian martini, but it would also be lovely in a fruity sangria or even to steam mussels for another delicious dish.

Cranberry Spritzer Ingredients:

• ice
• 4 oz tonic
• 1 oz Carpano Antica Formula
• splash cranberry juice
• cherry and orange peel, for garnish

The spritzer is fairly easy to put together. You just fill a cup full of ice and add some tonic (or club soda if you prefer), then add the Carpano Antica Formula with a splash of cranberry. Garnish with an orange peel and maraschino cherry and stir lightly. You can adjust the measurements to suit how you prefer your drink. This is a bubbly and refreshing light cocktail that pairs well with the food. It perfectly whets your appetite to prepare for dinner.

Dry Italian Martini Ingredients:

• ice
• 1 oz Carpano Antica Formula
• 1 oz vanilla flavored vodka
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• juice of 1/2 lime
• green olive and lime wedge, for garnish

Add all ingredients to a martini shaker, shaking well before pouring into glass. Add garnish and serve. This is a bold cocktail, dry with a delicious swirl of flavors and aromas.

Have you done aperitivo hour? What would you be serving?