To drink like an Italian is to slip into an appreciative way of life. The opening gesture to an evening and what is to follow means that the aperitivo—the relaxed appetite-awakener—plays a major role in a culture renowned for their food and drink.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of variations on the theme of relatively low alcohol-by-volume aperitivi, many of them involving stimulating and bitter flavors to be savored slowly. Post-dinner, there are the digestivi, drunk small and neat. They may be searing, mellow, or sweet.