People often ask: what is the difference between an aperitivo and a digestivo? The split comes down to purpose and timing. An aperitivo is the opener, a pre-dinner drink that wakes up your taste buds and starts the evening. A digestivo is the closer, a post-meal drink meant to help you feel comfortable after eating and keep the good mood going. These two types of drinks are set apart by style and, most of all, by when you drink them.
Both come from long European traditions, especially in Italy and France, yet their roles are very different. One gets you ready for the meal; the other helps you wind down after it. Learning the difference can improve your whole meal, turning dinner into a smoother, more enjoyable experience.

Aperitivo vs Digestivo: Key Differences Explained
Definition and Purpose of Aperitivo
The word “aperitivo” comes from the Latin “aperire,” meaning “to open.” That’s the idea: it opens your appetite, opens conversation, and marks the shift from daytime to evening. As Matthew Powell of The Doctor’s Office in Seattle says, it’s a social bridge that leads into the meal.
This pre-dinner habit is common across much of Europe. It’s a time to meet friends, relax, and get ready-mentally and physically-for food. Many aperitivi use herbs that help spark hunger. They send a “food is coming” signal without overwhelming you or getting you too tipsy to enjoy dinner.
Definition and Purpose of Digestivo
If the aperitivo is the opening music, the digestivo is the final note. It’s served after the meal, often after dessert and coffee, to help digestion and keep the table talk going. In France, the finish of a meal matters as much as the start, and the digestif fits that idea well. In the past, people even used digestifs like medicine for stomach problems. Today, people drink them mostly for taste and comfort.
Nate Hayden, beverage director for Mother Pizzeria and Giusto, says a digestivo is for “when the meal is over but you’re still enjoying your company.” Toronto restaurateur Yannick Bigourdan calls it “the closing act,” a calm way to end dinner and take a moment to reflect.
Main Differences at a Glance
Aspect | Aperitivo | Digestivo |
---|---|---|
Timing | Before dinner (often 4-7 PM; in Italy 7-9 PM) | After the meal (often after dessert/coffee) |
Purpose | Wake up appetite and start the evening | Help digestion and extend table time |
Flavor | Drier, bright, often bitter with citrus/herbs | Darker, richer, more bitter, sometimes sweet |
Color | Often orange/red | Often deep amber/brown |
Alcohol (ABV) | Lower (about 11-30%) | Higher (about 15-40%, often near 30%) |
How served | Often in spritzes or mixed drinks | Usually sipped neat (some chilled) |
Effect | Stimulates appetite | Settles the stomach |

When to Serve Aperitivo and Digestivo
Serving an aperitivo sets the mood. It marks the end of work and the start of evening. Raymundo Arvizu of Bar Sprezzatura likes aperitifs with “sunny-day finger foods: crudo and oysters.” Go for light, crisp, appetite-boosting drinks 30-60 minutes before dinner.
Digestivi come out after dessert and coffee, or alongside coffee, to close the meal. This is for slow sipping and enjoying deeper flavors. Aperitivi are often cold; digestivi are often at room temperature, though fruit liqueurs like Limoncello are better chilled. They signal the end of the night and invite you to linger.
What Is Aperitivo?
Aperitivo is both a drink and a time of day, especially in Italy. It’s the “golden hour” after work and before dinner, with small snacks and colorful drinks. The roots go back to ancient Rome, where people drank wines infused with herbs before meals, believing the bitter notes helped the stomach “open.”
Modern aperitivo drinks are lower in alcohol and light on the palate, so you don’t spoil your appetite. They’re simple: a botanical liqueur, some citrus, and maybe bubbles like seltzer or soda water. This keeps the flavors clear and gets you ready for food.
Typical Ingredients and Flavors of Aperitivo
Aperitivi balance dryness, mild sweetness, citrus, and herbs. They lean dry because too much sugar can make you feel full. Common ingredients include herbs, roots, and spices that help spark appetite. Many Italian aperitivi are orange or red, fitting the sunset look of after-work drinks.
They often taste bitter but are usually simpler than digestivi. Bitter flavors can trigger digestive juices and ready the stomach, which suits their pre-dinner job.
Popular Aperitivo Drinks and Snacks
Italian staples lead the way. Favorites include:
- Spritzes (Aperol Spritz: Aperol, Prosecco, soda, orange slice)
- Campari mixes (Negroni: gin, vermouth, Campari; Campari and soda)
- Other bitters: Cynar, Cocchi Americano, Select, Meletti 1870, Contratto Bitter, Luxardo Aperitivo
- French picks: Lillet, Dubonnet, Chartreuse
Aperitivo usually comes with salty “cicchetti” (snacks) such as olives, aged cheeses, cured meats, mini pizzas, crackers, nuts, pâté, or quiche. Salt pairs well with dry, bitter drinks and helps wake up appetite. As Valeria Bassetti of ShakHer says, “For us Italians, it’s taboo to drink without eating.”

What Is Digestivo?
The digestivo is the final chapter of a meal. Aperitivo gets you ready; digestivo aims to calm the system after rich food. Many recipes came from monastic traditions and were once seen as helpful for health. Today, people enjoy them mostly for flavor and comfort after eating.
Digestivi are usually deeper and richer than aperitivi. They suit long talks and a slower pace after dinner, helping you enjoy the end of the meal.
Typical Ingredients and Flavors of Digestivo
Digestivi are often dark in color and bold in taste. They tend to be more bitter, with layers from many herbs, roots, bark, spices, fruit, and flowers. While bitter, many are also quite sweet to balance that bitterness. They are meant for slow sipping.
Matthew Powell notes some overlap in ingredients, like oranges, orange peel, rhubarb, gentian, and anise. In digestivi, these are often stronger or combined for a deeper, more layered taste. The alcohol is usually higher too, which, as Yannick Bigourdan suggests, makes them a better fit after a big meal.
Popular Digestivo Drinks
Italian amari (bitter herbal liqueurs) are the backbone here. There are hundreds, from well-known names to tiny producers. Common choices include:
- Amari: Montenegro, Lucano, Ramazzotti, Averna, Meletti, Fernet-Branca
- Brandies: grappa, Calvados, Cognac
- Fortified wines: sweet sherry, port, Madeira
- Liqueurs: Limoncello, Sambuca, Nocello (hazelnut), Amaretto (almond)

Cynar, made with artichoke, can work before or after dinner, depending on the serve. Most digestivi are enjoyed neat to show their full flavor, though fruit liqueurs often taste best chilled.
When Should You Choose Aperitivo or Digestivo?
The choice is about the flow of the meal and the moment, more than a single bottle you like. These drinks act like bookends around dinner, shaping the mood from start to finish. Following the custom can lift both flavor and atmosphere at the table.
Nate Hayden suggests aperitivo as the sign your workday is over and it’s time to settle in. A digestivo fits after the meal, when you want one more drink and a bit more time with your group.
Timing in the Meal and Social Contexts
Timing matters. An aperitivo belongs before dinner, in the hour or two leading up to it. It’s good for easy conversation, relaxing with friends or family, and gently getting your body ready for food. It often marks the move from work to leisure.
A digestivo is the classic choice after the plates are cleared and dessert and espresso are done. It’s a quiet moment to sit with your thoughts, chat a bit more, and enjoy the last flavors of the meal. It suits a special dinner or a big feast, as Bigourdan notes.
How Aperitivo Stimulates Appetite
An aperitivo gently wakes up hunger. Dry, bitter, and herbal notes can prompt digestive juices, telling your stomach that food is coming. The goal is a light nudge, not a heavy hit. Lower alcohol helps you stay clear-headed and ready to eat.
Herbal elements in drinks like Campari or Select are chosen for their appetite-boosting effects. With salty snacks like olives or cured meats, you get a mix that sharpens taste without filling you up. The balance helps you enjoy the meal that follows.
How Digestivo Supports Digestion
Digestivi are believed to help digestion. While debate exists about the exact body effects, tradition links bitter, herbal, and sometimes stronger spirits with easing the stomach after rich food. Many include carminative herbs tied to reducing gas and discomfort.
Higher alcohol and complex botanicals-especially in amari-are thought to help with heavy dishes and calm the system. The slow ritual of sipping after a meal also helps you relax, which can make you feel better as your body settles. It adds a gentle sense of closure to dinner.
Types of Aperitivo and Digestivo: Regional Varieties
Across Europe, both ideas are shared, but styles change by region. Local ingredients, history, and food habits shape each area’s drinks and traditions. That variety gives you a taste of place with every glass.
From Italy’s coasts to France’s old towns, local herbs, fruit, and soils influence what you drink. Provence herbs, Burgundy fruit, and the chalky lands of Cognac all play a role in regional flavors.
Italian Aperitivi and Digestivi
Italy is a key home for both. For aperitivi, the Spritz (especially Aperol Spritz) is common in the Veneto, where it began. Campari is another icon, starring in the Negroni. Other choices include Select, Cynar (works both before and after), Cocchi Americano, and vermouths like Martini & Rossi Fiero.
Italian digestivi are led by amari, with hundreds of styles. From bold Fernet-Branca to friendlier Montenegro and Averna, there’s a wide range. Grappa is a strong favorite in regions like Veneto. Limoncello shines in the south, and Sambuca is popular around Rome. Nut liqueurs like Nocello and Amaretto make sweet finishes. Dessert wines such as Moscadello di Montalcino and Vin Santo in Tuscany offer a softer close.
French and Other European Varieties
France has its own set. For aperitifs, Pastis is big in Provence, served with water over ice. In Burgundy, the Kir (crème de cassis with white wine, often Aligoté) is a classic; Kir Royal swaps in Champagne. Lillet and Dubonnet are also common. Calvados, the apple brandy from Normandy, can open or close a meal and sometimes cleanses the palate between courses.
For digestifs, Cognac and Armagnac stand out. Herbal liqueurs like Chartreuse and Bénédictine bring strong, layered flavors after a big meal. Sweet fortified wines such as Pineau des Charentes and Muscat show up too. Elsewhere in Europe: Ouzo pairs with meze in the Eastern Mediterranean; dry sherry and Madeira can start a meal in Britain and Ireland; schnapps and akvavit in Northern Europe often serve as digestifs.

Non-Alcoholic Alternatives
Non-alcoholic choices are growing fast for both aperitivo and digestivo. These let everyone take part, no matter their drinking habits. Many makers now craft alcohol-free spirits and mixers with herbs, spices, and botanicals to build layered flavors.
Use them in spritz-style drinks or mocktails before dinner to get that same gentle bitterness and aroma. After dinner, alcohol-free bitters or herbal infusions can give a soothing finish with depth, keeping the full meal experience open to all.
Common Misconceptions About Aperitivo and Digestivo
People often mix up these two, or use the terms loosely. That can come from not being used to European dining customs or from the huge range of bottles on shelves today. Knowing the difference makes the whole meal flow better and feels truer to the tradition.
Some think any light drink before dinner is an aperitivo and any strong drink after is a digestivo. That’s close, but the classic styles and ingredients matter too. It’s about the drink itself and the reason you’re having it, not just the clock.
Are Aperitivo and Digestivo Interchangeable?
No. While a few bottles, like Cynar, can work in both roles depending on how you serve them, that’s rare. The main difference is their job in the meal, which shapes flavor, strength, and serving style.
An aperitivo aims to “open” the palate, so it tends to be lighter, drier, and lower in alcohol. A heavy, sweet, high-alcohol digestivo before dinner could dull hunger. A bubbly, light aperitivo after a rich meal won’t bring the soothing finish many expect. Think of them as two separate parts of one meal plan, each with its own role and timing.
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