The Aperitivo Hour

As more restaurateurs embrace the breezy Italian art of predinner drinking, New York is awash in bitter-liqueur-based cocktails and salty snacks. Here, where to go and what to get.

When milan native Edoardo Mantelli was planning his new Fort Greene restaurant, Saraghina Caffè (195 Dekalb Ave.), aperitivo—that distinctly Italian form of socializing over low-proof cocktails and snacks, before or sometimes in place of dinner—was meant to be a big part of it. But now that he has officially opened, he finds himself facing a cultural conundrum: Will frenzied, time-pressed New Yorkers embrace the carefree ritual of his homeland? And will our different business model allow it? For one thing, he says, Italians tend to dine later than Americans, and a leisurely aperitivo session can stretch out for hours without jeopardizing dinner-table availability: “At 7 p.m. in a restaurant there, they’re still sweeping the floor.” Contrast that with the line that has already begun forming on weekend nights before his café’s five o’clock opening time, full of families and couples ready to eat dinner, not just nibble. As he gradually extends the hours, he’s planning to open at 4 p.m. in the coming weeks for riffs on drinks like the Americano and the spritz, which practically define aperitivo, and snacks like chips and olives—“Maybe a small pizzette,” he says. “It’s a short time frame between four and five, but I still want to give it a try.”

He’s not the only one. Aperitivo culture has been on the rise among Italophile restaurateurs and customers alike, even if, owing to the exigencies of service hours and price structures, our between-meal version tends to be early bird and à la carte. (In Italy, the cost of the food is typically built into the drink price. Here, it’s almost always extra.) But even an attenuated aperitivo is better than no aperitivo at all, especially as the weather warms, outdoor dining returns, and the prospect of social gathering has never felt more irresistible.