There is nothing quite as quintessentially Italian as the aperitivo. Derived from the Latin word for “to open”, aperire, the aperitivo is a deep cultural tradition with the scope of “opening the stomach” for food (dinner). It is a common belief among Americans that the aperitivo is the same as Happy Hour, but, this could not be further from the truth. It is true that both activities involve drinking alcohol (usually), but the meaning behind the aperitivo is much different.
While Happy Hour is just a reason to drink lots of alcohol at a discount and get sloshed for a good price, the aperitivo is all about enjoying a drink (usually just one, but sometimes two), along with some light food. But most importantly, it’s about doing those with friends and/or family. Typically, there are a few common cocktails that are drunk during aperitivo, with the two most popular undoubtedly being the Aperol Spritz and the Negroni. Though it is now normal to also have a glass of prosecco or wine, a beer, or another cocktail. Non-alcoholic options usually include Crodino or SanBitter, two very bitter drinks, as the names may imply. As for food, olives are a staple, along with potato chips, cured meats, cheeses, and other small bites known as “stuzzichini”.
The reason for doing the aperitivo, coupled with preparing the stomach and aiding digestion (Italians are all about digestion), is to spend quality time with those who are important to you. I’m not saying that Happy Hour isn’t about being social, but Happy Hour is undoubtedly focused on the alcohol, rather than the experience and quality time. This is proven by the fact that in addition to bars lowering prices during Happy Hour, they will usually have specials with the intention of pushing more alcohol. These include “buy 1 beer, get a free shot”, “1 dollar beers”, “buy one, get one” and so forth. The intention behind the Happy Hour is clear: drink alcohol.
Seeing as Americans are large and frequent consumers of alcohol, it makes sense that we would have a tradition such as Happy Hour. I wish we would adopt the aperitivo, or that there were places to have an actual aperitivo, but, I don’t see this happening, especially the former. Places that do try to have a traditional aperitivo don’t follow traditional pricing, which is sad for the wallet. Though, the ultimate dream would be the tradition of the aperitivo coming to the US, but, for reasons previously explained, I don’t think it will ever happen. The aperitivo is one of the things I miss most after my trips to Italy, and for good reason.
