History of aperitifs
There is no agreement as to where the habit of consuming aperitifs comes from. According to some statements, a small amount of alcohol was served before meals already in ancient Egypt. Based on other sources, it appeared first in 1786, when Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented the vermouth in Turin. In Europe, aperitif has become really popular in the second half of the nineteenth century, and arount 1900, its consumption has become more common also in the United States.
The aperitif is an alcoholic beverage, which is served primarily as a meal appetizer before eating larger meals. The word comes from the Latin word “aperire”, “to open”. The aperitif may include a small amount of snacks, such as biscuits, cheese, peanuts, chips or olives.