Our new evolution is called Active Aperitif: an opportunity to meet and socialize in which you don't simply sip the cocktail accompanied by a rich variety of appetizers but are, in fact, an active part in its creation .
Aperitif: history and innovation
To cure lack of appetite , the famous Greek doctor Hippocrates developed a new medicine: Vinum Hippocraticum. It was nothing more than sweet white wine in which the flowers of:
- absinthe
- dictamo
Taking inspiration from this medicine, the Romans then created a new version: Vinum Absinthiatum in which sage and rosemary were added.
The transition from cure to aperitif, as we understand it today, came only in 1786 by Antonio Benedetto Carpano who, in his Turin workshop, created Vermouth: a particular type of fortified wine flavored with cinchona. This new blend was so successful that it was declared the official aperitif of the Court .
Just under thirty years later, in 1815, a Milanese pharmacist named Ausano Ramazzotti had the idea of creating the first aperitif with a non-wine base by infusing herbs from all over the world in alcohol 33 (citing only some: Chinese rhubarb, South American china).
A few years later, a wine producer with a surname that is still very familiar today, Martini , put on the market an aperitif of his own invention: the white Martini made with the maceration, in muscat wine, of:
- sandal
- cinnamon
- melissa
- mugwort
- china
- thistle
- oregano
- violets
To distinguish itself from other aperitifs, the owner of a well-known Novara café, Gaspare Campari, invented a bright red one which he named Bitter (a German word meaning bitter).
However, the real revolution occurred in Milan around the early 1900s when the aperitif transformed into a real social phenomenon; the list of drinks has become longer and the accompanying appetizers will no longer be simple olives, but the real protagonists.
How the Active Aperitif takes place
The most recent and innovative reinterpretation of the aperitif is: the Active Aperitif.
Meeting new people, having fun and collaborating through the preparation of quick and easy recipes, then tasting them comfortably with the other participants is the fulcrum.
This new concept could only be born in Milan (proclaimed capital of the aperitif) and could only take place on Friday evening, the occasion in which we finally leave the working week behind and dedicate ourselves to leisure.
From sweet to savory, there are no limits in the preparation of aperitifs and it is not even necessary to have specific skills. The Active Aperitif is designed to be a moment in which:
- being able to socialize;
- being able to learn through food.
