Language of Mixology (Aperitif)

Originally a reference to an aperitif wine, fortified and aromatized by the addition of various herbs and spices, it was traditionally drunk before the meals as stimulant to the appetite.  The term was also applied to various other wine concoctions of a proprietary nature such as Dubonnet, Byrrh, St Raphael, and bitter-based liqueurs like Camparri, Amer Picon, and even to bitters themselves such as Fernet Branca.  Now teh term emconposses pre-prandial spirits such as ouzo, Calisay, Pernod, Ricard, anesone; all kinds of coctails; and even white table wine, which has become popular as before-dinner drink in the US.  Today, what constitutes an aperitif is of less important than when it is imbibed.  In simple term, an aperitif is anything alcoholic taken prior to dining.