A French term referring to a light alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.

Ideally an aperitif should stimulate the appetite and tantalise the palate, preparing it for greater things to come. The French often enjoy a glass of pastis before a meal.

Popular apéritifs include champagne, vermouth, sherry and fortified and flavored wines such as Lillet and Dubonnet. Other

popular aperitifs include drinks based on wine (for example, vermouth) or alcohol (for example, anise, bitters) and certain spirits and liqueurs. Arak (an aniseed-flavoured clear spirit) is drunk as an aperitif in some Arabic countries, ouzo in Greece and a glass of fino or manzanilla sherry in Spain .