The Italian tradition occurs every day at sunset, when restaurants and bars set out small snacks, called cicchetti, to accompany palate-opening drinks. The word itself derives from the Italian verb aprire, to open. In Italian culture aperitivo is an opportunity to open your appetite, to ready your stomach for the amazing food on the horizon.

It’s believed to have initiated in Piedmont in the 18th century when King Vittorio Emanuele II embraced a spiced white wine called vermouth as his pre-dinner drink of choice. Then, in 19th-century Tuscany, Count Camillo Negroni accidentally invented a vermouth-based concoction appropriately called the Negroni. It soon became a staple for aperitivo hour in that region.

Come and join us, buy a drink (beer, wine, cocktail) and get some complimentary tasty Italian bites!

Aperitivo Hour takes place at the bar and footpath only!