mixed greens, avocado, sweet corn, Gifford’s bacon, roma tomato, blue cheese crumble, Champagne Dijon vinaigrette. They’re light, fruity and sunny, a contrast to their bitter, more serious-feeling European counterparts. Baker’s Bourbon, Berentzen Apple Liqueur Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth infused with Applewood smoke $ 24 (300 cal.) It has green, herbal notes, with coriander seed front and center, and a creamy texture. It is the rare alcohol brand that channels what’s been called the Millennial aesthetic: a ceramic bottle, serif fonts. Besides, the term aperitif has taken on a meaning that transcends its technical definition. It smells gorgeous and manages to avoid tasting soapy or excessively perfumey. “But aperitif feels nice. Bay Area aperitif Ortolan is distilled from rose petals. COCKTAILS TO GO We can make any cocktail with your favorite bourbon or rye. An after-dinner drink? (Turns out an aggressive advertising campaign had something to do with that.) To make these products, wine is fortified (usually with neutral grape brandy), then infused with any manner of herbs, spices, fruits and barks. Kloby’s serves up the best smoked Pulled Pork (served Carolina-Style), Beef Brisket, Ribs, Chicken and “made from scratch” sides. Drink it: chilled and neat, with a green olive or orange peel. Gallo Sweet Vermouth – Made in California, a light cola brown color. “We now have people coming up to us when we do events saying, ‘I’ve been looking for a new aperitif,’” Dawson says. Winemaker Woody Hambrecht had a vermouth brand called Alysian, but pivoted to aperitifs with the launch of Haus in 2019. KLOBY’S SMOKEHOUSE Is known for great food and service. “We’re not making this for the Wine Country patron,” says Price Hambrecht, who lives in Healdsburg. The packaging of these aperitifs is designed to pop on the shelf or on an Instagram feed. The catch: This time, the Hambrechts aren’t calling their product vermouth. “People just think of vermouth as these old bottles of Dolin on their grandparents’ bar cart,” Sheehan says. Bloody Mary. (Jardesca also makes a red version, based on Zinfandel.). Amaro Angeleno, made by Ventura Spirits, is based on a recipe the distiller found in an old Italian cookbook. Aperitif, by contrast, is sexy and soft, a derivative of the French for “open.” How lovely. MBB Sweet Vermouth: Made with spices, orange, and anisette . Drink it: with tonic water, ice and a squeeze of lime. Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tomato Juice and a blend of spices, served with Bacon, Blackened Shrimp and … Instead, they’re using its alluring, Francophone synonym — aperitif. • Amaro Angeleno ($35, 23%): The label on this bottle from Ventura Spirits gives it all away — this amaro is the color of orange, tastes like oranges and smells like you’ve just expressed a potent orange peel all over your glass. (The Mommenpop labels are the work of Michael McDermott, a prolific wine-label designer who is married to Sheehan. If you want to get creative without adding too much more alcohol, you will find that garnishes of fresh herbs (try slapping a sprig between your hands over the glass before dropping it in) and citrus (make sure to really twist the peel over the glass in order to express its oils) go a very long way. Escubac, from Scotland, is similar to gin but has found it easier to identify as an aperitif. Few customers even knew the word aperitif. CRUSHES – 3 Olives vodka, fresh squeezed oranges or grapefruits, tripel sec, sprite BOULEVARDIER – Clyde’s May, Compari, Antica sweet vermouth, bitters, orange rind, FALL/WINTER MARGARITA –  Jose Cuervo, fresh lime juice, St George’s, sour, cinnamon sugar rim $9.00 ... our manhattan starts with a classic recipe of four roses small batch bourbon, dolin vermouth, and angostura bitters aged in-house in oak barrels garnished with brandied cherries . Balcones Pot Still Bourbon, Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth and Bénédictine D.O.M. Gavin Newsom, as well as to any Republican candidate running in competitive House races that... Actor Daniel Wu on hate crimes against Asians: ‘We’re tired of this’, School board’s antics would be funny if consequences weren’t so serious. Jardesca California Aperitiva’s white blend is based on Viognier wine. Haus has cracked Instagram in a way that’s remained elusive to the larger California wine industry, featuring on its feed styled photos of influencers from a natural-dye textile artisan to “Silicon Valley” actor Amanda Crew. Now, the term has been adopted for beverages that would never have actually counted as an aperitif in the technical sense. Which wine was Chrissy Teigen's $13,000 surprise? They are a type of wine — an aromatized wine, to be precise. (When asked if Haus might ever open a tasting room, she says it’s likely, and it would be in Los Angeles or San Francisco.). You may be familiar with Lillet and Aperol, but there’s a whole new generation of aperitifs available today, and many of the best are made in the Bay Area. Before you break out the cocktail shaker, be sure to try a taste of these aperitifs neat or on the rocks — some of them taste like complete cocktails on their own. We are living through an era that revels in all things aperitif-adjacent: spritzes, botanicals, low-proof cocktails, happy hours. THE “ROOSEVELT HOTEL” SAZARAC – Sazarac Rye, Herb Saint absinthe wash, simple syrup, lemon rind However, aperitifs are by definition higher in alcohol than table wine, since they are fortified wines. Jameson, kahlua, bailey's. It’s a feeling, it’s a moment. His vermouths were excellent; I recommended Alysian’s bittersweet bianco in a 2017 article. FALL/WINTER MULE – 3 Olives Pear Apple vodka, St Georges, fresh lime juice, Fever Tree ginger beer Many of them eschew bitterness in favor of bright fruitiness, and they convey a sense of place by showcasing distinctly Californian citrus, flowers and other flavorful plants. There’s not a hint of dried or oxidative fruit flavor. Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Tiramisu Italian Liqueur, Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters $ 13 (290 cal.) There’s a pronounced bitterness on the finish that you might expect from a dry Italian vermouth. Pineapple Infused Martini Pineapple Infused Vodka, Malibu Rum, Pineapple Juice In August, she started labeling the new Mommenpop bottles as aperitifs. Drink it: over ice, garnished with a sprig of mint or rosemary. Serving . Locally, perhaps the most interesting aperitif-that’s-not-an-aperitif is Ortolan Rosolio, made by East Bay resident Robert Collier. Vermouth producers are not the only ones who have capitalized on the aperitif’s allure. Cotija Crusted Pork Quesadilla $12.99 – Smoked pork, Jack cheddar, Carolina sauce, pico de gallo, chipotle cream, green onions, Salmon Burger $15.99 – Grilled salmon burger, lettuce, tomato, Feta, cucumber tzatziki sauce, onion, served with hand cut fries, Carolina Combo Wrap $13.99 – Spicy pork Sausage, pulled pork, cole slaw, Carolina BBQ sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla, served with hand cut fries, Chesapeake Chicken Breast $21.99 AFTER 4PM – Topped with crab herb stuffing, sautéed green beans, Chili Rubbed Pit Prime Rib $21.99 AFTER 4PM – 12 OZ cut, garlic smashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, Vanderwende’s Ice Cream Additions  – Sugar Free Vanilla, Red Velvet, Cotton Candy, Sugar Cookie, Coffee, Butter Pecan, Banana Fudge Nut, CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY BREAD PUDDING. Petroski also makes a superb red vermouth that’s sweet and bitter. The Healdsburg winemaker had begun making vermouth in 2013, partly as a way to keep himself and his winery, Alysian, busy during the off-season. Two gingers whiskey, peach schnapps, sour mix & soda. For example, Haus’ products clock in at 18%, Mommenpop’s at 17% and Jardesca’s at 17%, a few notches higher than the 12%-14% range you’d find in most California wines. MULLED CIDER – Kloby’s Buffalo Trace Single Barrel, Mulled Cider, Cinnamon Stick, Orange Slice To be clear, the word “aperitif” is not solely responsible for Haus’ success, but the terminology shift is indicative of a larger phenomenon, an aperitif explosion. The Chronicle’s food and culture podcast, hosted by Soleil Ho and Justin Phillips. Move over, Aperol spritz: Sunny, breezy California aperitifs are the chic Millennial's new drink of choice. BLACK MANHATTAN – Our own hand selected single barrel Kloby’s Buffalo Trace, Averna Amora, Antica sweet vernouth, bitters, cherry Ventura Spirits also makes an outstanding canned spritz based on Amaro Angeleno. THE EASTWOOD – Sagamore Rye, Green Chartreuse, simple syrup, bitters, orange peel The nomenclature can get confusing: Most of the products on this list are technically vermouth, a type of aromatized and fortified wine, though there are some other categories of liqueurs represented too (including one that’s made from rose petals). Rose gold in color, the aperitif shows off its warming flavors of clove and cinnamon stick with a spicy kick of ginger. • Jardesca California Aperitiva ($35, 17%): This Sonoma County endeavor is possibly the most wine-like of the options on this list. It’s slightly oxidative in style, with a lightly syrupy texture and an intense minty bitterness. Collier’s main ingredient is heirloom rose petals from a farm in Santa Barbara, resulting in an amazingly fragrant floral liqueur (that doesn’t, thank goodness, taste like a Crabtree & Evelyn store). Lo-Fi Aperitifs, a brand owned by E. & J. Gallo, makes three different vermouths. • Mommenpop blood orange aperitif ($22/375ml, 17%): Winemaker Samantha Sheehan, also behind the Poe and Ultraviolet wine labels, makes three exuberantly citrus-forward vermouths for her Mommenpop project. Is it dry? BUTTER BOURBON – Sagamore Rye, Butter Blend, Hot Water, Whipped Cream Trump, Kevin McCarthy had expletive-filled call as rioters stormed... Fresno man arrested following Friday night shooting of two men near S.F.... Fire destroys Andreotti’s historic barn in Half Moon Bay, The story behind the ‘Star Trek IV’ punk on bus: Kirk Thatcher Q&A. Legally, vermouth and aperitifs are synonyms, used interchangeably by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Barrel-Aged Manhattan. IRISH CIDER – Tullamore Dew Barrel Aged Cider, lemon, apple cider, draft cider float Is it a before-dinner drink? In the dry vermouth, notes of chamomile tea and dried cherry come through strongly, with a fragrance that recalls sweet chai tea. “Aperitivo hour is really this pause between your everyday life and your social life, the preamble to a great evening,” says Roger Morrison, co-founder of the Sonoma County brand Jardesca Aperitiva. Please Call For Reservations (also accepting walk-ups) (630) 480-0458 108 N Hale St. Use these house items in your classic cocktail for an extra charge: MBB Old Fashioned Syrup: Made with vanilla, ginger, and brown sugar . Sipping a bitter, low-alcohol drink before dinner, the logic goes, helps to whet the appetite. But business was tough. Sun+ Mon 11-8 Tues - Thurs 11-9 Fri + Sat 11-10 . (The answer to all those questions: yes. “And the drinker had no idea what Alysian was.”, A few years later, Hambrecht is still making vermouth — but this time business is very, very good. But table wines aren’t the right comparison; these aperitifs behave more like cocktails, already jazzed up with all their herb, fruit and spice additions. Give it some time and a chocolate note pops, complementing the fruit nicely. Previously she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York, and has worked harvests at wineries in Napa Valley and Argentina. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley. It feels like a blank slate.”. “It’s a fantastic gateway into Islay whisky—great neat or on the rocks, even affordable enough to mix with at home or behind the bar. sweet corn with lime, crema, cotija cheese . In France, they call the ritual l’apero; in Italy, aperitivo. • Haus bitter clove ($35, 16%): Healdsburg’s Haus has led the aperitif revival in the Bay Area over the last two years, and its owners Woody and Helena Hambrecht offer a range of delicious flavors including ginger yuzu, spiced cherry and citrus flower. Sheehan subsequently named her project Mommenpop and added two more flavors, grapefruit and blood orange. 's new advice for safe sex during the pandemic is a wild read. • Lo-Fi Aperitifs dry vermouth ($30, 16.5%): E. & J. Gallo’s Lo-Fi Aperitifs brand consists of three aromatized wines — a dry vermouth, a sweet vermouth and a red, gentian-based amaro. Drink it: in a variation on the Kir Royale cocktail (made with creme de cassis and Champagne), with roughly equal parts Ortolan and the driest sparkling wine you can find. “So the easiest way I have of explaining it is to say it’s an aperitivo or aperitif.”. AVIATION – Bombay Sapphire gin, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Maraschino liquor, Creme de Violette liquor, cherry SMOKED MANHATTAN – Smoked rocks glass, 1792 small batch, Antica sweet vernouth, bitters, cherry Founders Marshall Dawson and Roger Morrison say their inspiration here was a California garden, and their aperitif indeed tastes fruit-forward, without the bitter edge common among European vermouths. FIREBALL HOT CHOCOLATE – Fireball Whiskey, House Made Hot Chocolate, Marshmallow, Boozy Milkshakes  Choose Ice Cream Flavor and Shot, Contact cateringmanager@klobysbbq.com to Book Your Event. Broken Wings Angels Envy, Drunken Cherry Juice, Smoked Rosemary House Infusions 18. When Sheehan got ready to bottle her citrusy creation, in 2016, the federal alcohol taxing bureau gave her the choice of labeling it as either a vermouth or aperitif. Aperol and minimalist labels alone, though, don’t take all the credit for the aperitif boom. It’s modeled on rosolio, an esoteric type of Italian liqueur that was typically flavored with fennel, bergamot or carob but fell out of fashion by the early 20th century. Apart from its role in a martini or a manhattan, the uses of vermouth remain confusingly vague to most drinkers. If the term aperitif has become less precise, it’s also become more evocative, channeling the spirit of that sacred aperitivo hour. “At the time, vermouth sounded more familiar to me, so I went with that,” she says. • Ortolan Rosolio ($48.99, 27%): A riff on the obscure Italian liqueur rosolio, Ortolan is the only beverage on this list that’s not wine-based — instead, it’s made from heirloom rose petals. Liqueur, aged for 20 days in white oak barrels (190 cal.) She studied English literature at Smith College. About as straightforward as it gets, Gallo’s sweet vermouth has a pleasant sweetness that suggests notes of cherries and dried strawberries, backed up with a gentle layer of bittering elements. Wine critic Esther Mobley joined The Chronicle in 2015 to cover California wine, beer and spirits. San Francisco’s school board is wasting time on ridiculous debates as... Why does California’s health care giant Kaiser lag in getting vaccines... ‘Quicker can be better’: San Francisco's new advice for safe sex... A Black Lives Matter mask shut down the Girl & the Fig, showing the... California to allow people with disabilities, high-risk medical... Californians with high-risk health conditions can soon get vaccinated.... Trump looms over California politics, even after impeachment. One of its most unique-tasting variations is the bitter clove flavor, a lighter and fruitier take on an amaro. Palm Beach Manhattan Glenlivet 12 Year, Sweet Vermouth, Aperol, Bitters. Still, the overwhelming profile is of pure, juicy blood orange, as if captured at its peak ripeness throughout the year. • Massican dry white vermouth ($20, 16%): Napa Valley winemaker Dan Petroski makes a range of white wines inspired by Italy’s Friuli region under his Massican label, and this dry white vermouth follows in that tradition. 6.00 / 10.50 Additions. Barrel-Aged Manhattan. Even some of the stalwart vermouth artisans are realizing the power of the word aperitif. Mommenpop’s grapefruit aperitif tastes like a paloma. It’s true that aperitifs tend to be significantly lower in alcohol than hard liquor, and a spritz (typically composed of aperitif + sparkling wine + sparkling water) packs a much lower punch than a whiskey or gin tipple. Blackberry Smash. Manhattan. Liqueur, aged for 20 days in white oak barrels (190 cal.) Drink it: over ice with soda water, bitters and a lemon twist. A Blend of George Dickel Rye, Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth And Fee Brothers Peach Bitters Aged In White Oak Barrels For 90 Days; Stirred And Served Over a 2X2 Ice Cube. Bloody Mary. Napa winemaker Samantha Sheehan was one of the many breezy Millennials who found herself caught up in the Aperol spritz craze, drinking the cocktails almost nightly during the summer of 2015. GIN BRAMBLE – Barr Hill gin, Creme de Mure, fresh lemon juice, blackberries They don’t look like wine bottles, and they look not at all akin to the busy, baroque looks of traditional vermouths like Carpano or Dolin. Drink it: as a spritz, over ice with soda water or sparkling wine (or both), muddled mint and an orange slice. Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Tomato Juice and a blend of spices, served with Bacon, Blackened Shrimp and … “Aperitifs are the original better-for-you alcohol,” says Haus’ Price Hambrecht. She’s referring to their historical origins: Because they contained quinine, which could treat malaria, aperitifs were administered in the 19th century as medicine. SOCIAL DISTANCING AND FACE COVERINGS ARE REQUIRED WHEN NOT SEATED. Bartender Jorge Paralles makes a spritz cocktail at Flour + Water Pizzeria in San Francisco. “We have not come close to hitting a ceiling on paid marketing,” Price Hambrecht says of their social-media advertising strategy. JAMESON COLD BREW – Jameson Cold Brew whiskey, Bailey’s, iced coffee, whipped cream                                                                                                                                                          OLD CAMP PEACH TEA – Old Camp peach pecan whiskey, fresh brewed southern style sweet tea, THE LAST WORD – Botanist gin, Green Chartreuse, Maraschino liquor, cherry, lime The bittersweet aperitivo and its signature cocktail, the Aperol spritz, went viral around five years ago. The Mommenpop labels are bold, resembling citrus segments. Eight years ago, when Morrison and co-founder Marshall Dawson were launching Jardesca, it seemed to them that none of their customers were familiar with the French and Italian aperitif traditions. Some of the Haus flavors, in fact, feel inspired by standard cocktails: Its peach passionfruit flavor recalls a tiki drink, its spiced cherry aperitif like a lighter Manhattan. GIN MANHATTAN – Bar Hill Tom Cat gin, Carpono Blanco vermouth, bitters, lemon rind, HOT TODDY – McConnell Irish Whiskey, Fresh Squeezed Lemon, Honey, Cinnamon Stick, Lemon Wedge The recipe was based on one that the distillery’s partners found in an old Italian cookbook. *12oz pour **10oz pour ***8oz pour   (BA) Barrel Aged, Downeast (TX) “Winter Blend Cider” 5.5%Devils Backbone (VA) “Munchen On Hops” 6.7%Brewers Art (MD) “St Festivus (BA)”* 8%New Belgium Brewing (CO) “Oakspire Old Fashioned Bourbon Barrel Ale” **9%New Belgium Brewing (CO) “Voodoo Ranger Higher Plane IPA” *8.5%Old Ox Brewing (MD) “Motor Goat Bock Lager” 6%Evolution Craft (MD) “Lot #6 DIPA” *8.5%Wicked Weed (NC) “Pernicious IPA” *7.3%Heavy Seas (MD) “24th Anniv Quad IPA” ***14.%Checkerspot (MD) “Maximum Fruitage Peach” *7%Allagash (ME) “White” 5.2%Heavy Seas(MD) “Cutlass Lager” 5.25%Flying Dog (MD) “K-9 Winter Ale” 7.4%Victory Brewing (PA) “Merry Monkey Ale” **10%Yuengling (PA) “Hershey Chocolate Porter” 4.7%Goose Island (ME) “Bourbon County Café Olla” ***13.5%Mobtown Brewing (MD) “The Distant Light Tripel” *8.5%Founders (MI) “Breakfast Stout (NITRO)” *8.3%, KLOBY’S MANHATTAN – Our own hand selected single barrel Kloby’s Buffalo Trace, Antica sweet vermouth, bitters, cherry chicken 5.00 steak* 6.00 shrimp 8.00 Verlasso salmon* 8.00 tuna* 8.00. Balcones Pot Still Bourbon, Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth and Bénédictine D.O.M. Spritzes have become increasingly popular drinks in recent years. (Its maker, Berkeley native Robert Collier, says he goes to great lengths to make sure it doesn’t taste like “grandmother’s bathwater.”) I get jasmine and honeysuckle notes alongside the resoundingly rosy core. Democrats will try to tie Donald Trump to anyone involved in the possible recall campaign of Gov. WHEATLEY’S BLOODY – Bacon infused Wheatley vodka, spicy bloody mix, bacon, pepperoncini, olive, celery, Kloby’s butt rub rim The aperitif companies have capitalized on that interest in wellness-oriented drinking, explicitly marketing their products as less likely to induce a hangover than boozy cocktails. As the market for lower-proof booze has grown in recent years, the aperitif’s ability to render a sessionable cocktail has been advantageous. The wording is important, too. The problem was not Woody Hambrecht’s vermouth. The conventional sales strategy of selling to cocktail bars seemed like a dead end. DINING ROOM AND BAR IS OPEN WITH HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS MON-FRI 3PM – 6PM. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle’s wine critic. The blood orange flavor is based on a very light-colored, almost-rosé Pinot Noir wine, and some of those Pinot notes — baking spice, anise, cherry bark — come through here. Is it sweet? “Sure, it would have been nice to reinvent vermouth, if I’d had a $600 million marketing budget,” says Sheehan. Infused Cocktail of the Day Our Bartender’s Featured Creation. Disaronno Originale, Knob Creek Bourbon, … The highest-proof beverage on this list, Escubac nevertheless feels squarely in the aperitif realm, bursting with fresh botanical aromas and tasting of caraway seeds, oranges and vanilla. • Lo-Fi Aperitifs dry vermouth ($30, 16.5%): E. & J. Gallo’s Lo-Fi Aperitifs brand consists of three aromatized wines — a dry vermouth, a sweet vermouth and a red, gentian-based amaro. This is the white version, and in it, the base of floral, peachy Viognier really shines through; additions of pink peppercorn, bay leaf and grapefruit turn up the volume. “I wish I would have had the foresight to take advantage of the (aperitif) categorization back in 2011 when I started,” says Napa winemaker Dan Petroski, who makes delicious, Italian-inspired vermouths under his Massican label but says he still struggles to sell them. Tableside Torched Apple Manhattan. Woodford reserve infused with cherries, sweet vermouth, dash bitters. We pride ourselves with taking all of the time needed to BBQ all of our fresh meats in an all natural wood pit to give you the best-smoked BBQ flavors. Copyright 2019 Kloby's Smokehouse | Designed and Developed by JetPak Branding. Drink it: with equal parts sparkling rosé, or just on its own over ice. KLOBY’S OLD FASHIONED – Sagamore Rye, brown sugar simple syrup, bitters, orange rind ), That the branding around the drink has changed sales is a major part of the equation. In 2019, having abandoned Alysian, the Hambrechts launched a new brand called Haus, and its dulled-color, 1970s-esque marketing images of glass-in-hand young people saturated the internet seemingly overnight. Bleu Cheese and Pancetta: Stuffed Olives I keep this around always.”—Jordan Joseph, bar manager at Raleigh, N.C.'s Centro and Gallo … Four Roses bourbon, house made vermouth, bitters, brandied cherry $ 10. Why does health care giant Kaiser lag in getting vaccines to seniors? And now, through Bay Area brands like Haus, Mommenpop, Jardesca, Lo-Fi and Ortolan Rosolio, the aperitif umbrella is giving new life to alcohol categories, especially vermouth, that have long languished in the unpopular shadows. Mommenpop, from Napa, identified its products as vermouth until last summer, when its maker Samantha Sheehan switched to labeling them as aperitifs. Photo by Kelsey McClellan / Styling by Anna Raben, Photo by Kelsey McClellan Photo / Styling by Anna Raben. Barrel-Aged Manhattan. “The first time that happened I thought they were yanking our chains.”. Cherry Infused Manhattan. ), Whereas the archetypal Wine Country brand might showcase photos of sunrises over vineyards and winemakers in dirt-caked Blundstone boots, the aesthetic realm of Haus is urban and loungey, featuring models in turtlenecks and high-waisted jeans. NEGRONI – Monkey 47 gin, Compari, Antica sweet vermouth, orange peel What unites these Bay Area creations, whatever you want to call them, is not a process but a mood. Already she’s found them much easier to sell. Vermouth is an ugly, harsh word, derived from the German for “wormwood,” which might be even uglier and harsher. Haus’ sales surged 800% during 2020, Price Hambrecht says, and in December alone generated revenue “in the seven figures.”. A hallmark of traditional French aperitifs like Suze and Italian aperitivos like Campari is a strong bitterness, often due to additions of wormwood or quinine. And while many of them would be delicious mixed with harder liquor — the negroni-like possibilities here are endless — we’ve provided some low-proof, spritzy suggestions for what to do with each of them, using simple mixers like soda water and sparkling wine. open for indoor dining & curbside pickup. Can you sip it on its own? Bright orange, lightly sweet and bubbling over with Prosecco, the Aperol spritz quickly replaced Whispering Angel rosé as the requisite arm candy at Hamptons summer parties. Drink it: over ice with soda water and a generous chunk of grapefruit. 9 8 Irish Butterfly. Today it’s a different world. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. It’s a take on an obscure Italian liqueur called rosolio. • Escubac liqueur ($39, 34%): Scottish distillery Sweetdram makes a range of spirits that break all sorts of rules — and their best-known example is Escubac, a gin-like spirit that’s made without juniper and therefore cannot be legally classified as a gin. S.F. But after five years of exhaustively trying to explain vermouth to her customers — a task “like pushing a boulder up a hill,” she says — Sheehan abandoned the terminology. “Even Italians don’t know what a rosolio is,” he says. $16.00 . Collier wasn’t fooling himself that customers could ever latch on to “rosolio,” though. The new wave of California aperitifs don’t always follow the tradition faithfully. A little potent on its own, Ortolan turns out to be a fairly versatile mixer in cocktails. Napa winery Massican is sticking with the vermouth label for now, though owner Dan Petroski says he wishes he'd known about the aperitif labeling option when he started out. This bacon-laced, umami-rich Syrah is why I love wine... Muscat is known as a sweet wine, but California's Cruse... Where to eat in the Bay Area. This European ritual experienced a full-force revival in the U.S. in recent years, all thanks to a single Italian import: Aperol. CARAMEL APPLE MARTINI – Caramel Van Gough vodka, Skrewball peanut butter whiskey, sour apple liquor, caramel, crushed peanut rim 8 7 Irish Tea. The Alysian vermouths “would end up being a tiny component in a cocktail, at best,” says Woody’s wife, Helena Price Hambrecht. But after she ran lab tests that suggested that Aperol contained a half-pound of sugar per liter, Sheehan decided to make a less sugary version herself by extracting Seville oranges into Chardonnay. All of them are welcome under the inclusive and enticing aperitif umbrella. It’s coastal on the nose and honey on the palette, with a soft bounce of smoke to finish.