In Italy, just about every day, the hours of 6 to 9 p.m. are reserved for a ritual called aperitivo. It’s the time to unwind after work, socialize and, as Americans do during happy hour, fortify with cocktails and snacks.
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These snacks are molto important since dinner usually isn’t consumed until later in the evening. So during aperitivo, you would find cheeses and cured meats along with more elaborate nibbles – collectively, these appetizers are called stuzzichini. Libations often include amari, which refers to Italian bitter and bittersweet herbal liqueurs such as Campari and Aperol.
Our country’s hustle culture makes this ritual snack time less likely to happen every day, but who says you can’t incorporate pieces of it into your life? Here’s how to do aperitivo, the Milwaukee way:
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Throw a Snack Party
I’m part of a friend group that holds cookbook parties – dinners where everyone makes recipes from a pre-determined title. Our most recent book was 2024’s Stuzzichini: The Art of the Italian Snack. Our feast included crispy polenta cubes, farfalle chips with parmigiano cream, roasted asparagus bundles with pancetta, crostini topped with ricotta and fresh fruit, and many others. Mindful of covering a diverse assortment of snacks, each guest was charged with two recipes – many could be done ahead of time. You could also nix the cookbook idea and pick up prepared stuzzichini, cured meats and tinned fish from local sources like Glorioso’s Italian Market, Groppi’s Market, Semolina and Scardina Specialties.
Just Spritz It
Light, bubbly and low-alcohol cocktails such as spritzes are very aperitivo-friendly. The spritz craze has been running strong in the States for years. The viral version is the Aperol spritz (Aperol, prosecco and a splash of soda). But make way for the Hugo – a spritz of elderflower liqueur, prosecco, soda, fresh mint and lime – invented in Italy’s South Tyrol region. It’s floral, sweet and great for summer.
Try a Strong Drink
Aperitivo cocktails can also be potent – for example, the negroni, which has equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. The Campari adds bitterness to the sweet and strong elements. There are also negroni variations such as the Boulevardier (rye whiskey, Campari, vermouth) and the Negroni sbagliato, which replaces the gin with prosecco for a bubbly twist. Sbagliato means mistaken – as the story goes, a bartender in Milan created the cocktail by grabbing the prosecco by mistake. Cin Cin!
This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine’s April 2026 issue.
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Dining and Cooking