On the Rocks or in the Mix: Five Delicious Artisanal Aperitifs To Try

It’s long been part of European culture to enjoy a pre-dinner aperitif or aperitivo (depending on whether you’re drinking it in France or Italy). While we’ve been a bit slower to the party in Aotearoa, no one could say we’re not making up for lost time.

Dry, slightly bitter and botanical drinks are only gaining popularity – from Aperol spritzes and Negronis to sipping vermouths and cocktails made with Lillet Blancs. “We’re definitely seeing people drink more aperitivos – especially Negronis,” says Egor Petrov, who heads up the bar at Origine. “For years, the most popular drink in most bars was always a Mojito but now so many people come in and order a pre-dinner Negroni. They don’t even look at the menu to see if we do them.”

He says it’s great to see people embrace these bitter flavours. “As a bartender, I find it exciting that there’s more interest in drinks that contain botanicals, as it means we can use things we didn’t before and make drinks a bit more complex and interesting. New Zealanders' palates are definitely becoming more sophisticated.”

We’re also increasingly producing our own versions in the Southern Hemisphere, many with botanicals only found in this part of the world. Here are some of our favourite bottles – four New Zealand and one Australian – to seek out and take home.

Reid & Reid vermouth
Founded in 2015 by brothers Chris and Stew Reid, the Reid & Reid label fast became synonymous with good New Zealand-made gin. But its range stretches far past that now and includes both a red vermouth and a dry vermouth. The red vermouth is made with Martinborough pinot noir, then barrel aged. “My background is in winemaking, so I thought it would be nice to release a vermouth, as it ties in both winemaking and distillation,” Chris tells Broadsheet. “We first started making red vermouth in 2017 with the aim to be able to release a full NZ Negroni.” (They did this in 2019 with their bitter aperitivo.) The vermouth’s many botanicals include wormwood, coriander and mānuka, kawakawa, horopito and juniper, giving it a New Zealand twist on classic vermouth flavours. As well as in a Negroni, Chris enjoys it “straight with a twist of orange or with a bit of soda water for a refreshing low-alcohol drink”.

Terra Sancta Aperitivo Botanical
It’s no secret that Terra Sancta in Central Otago turns out exceptional wines, but not everyone knows the team produces this aperitivo. It’s wine-based and made with an aromatic mix of 16 (mainly) locally grown ingredients, including fresh red berries, thyme, sage, wormwood, horopito and citrus. The characteristic bitterness makes for an excellent pre-meal drink. Winery co-owner Sarah Elliot became fascinated with herbs – especially those foraged locally – when she did a herbalism course some years ago and developed an understanding of what was growing around the vineyards. It took her two years to finally settle on the perfect combination – great as an addition to a G&T, a “not-Aperol” spritz, on the rocks or with a dash of soda.

Saison Aperitifs seasonal vermouths
Many Melburnians (and Kiwis who cross the ditch for good food) will be aware of Dave Verheul of Embla. Verheul has a highly tuned chef’s palate – so it’s no surprise he knows how to create a sophisticated drink. This has played out with his range of aperitifs, which are available in New Zealand at select restaurants and retailers including Everyday Wine and By The Bottle. As the name suggests, the flavours of these small-batch vermouths change seasonally. Rather than a heavy, traditionally spice-led European style, their profiles are fresh and single-ingredient-led. Current flavours are Fallen Quinces, Black Walnut and Summer Flowers – and the process of creation sits somewhere between distilling, science and art. Fallen Quince uses several ingredients including pineapple quinces, saffron, blood orange, dried jasmine flower and caramelised quince sugar. These are blended into a muscat-based wine and left to age on charred quince. You don’t want to dilute the magic in these too much; on the rocks, or with soda keeps clean, clever flavours at the fore.

Hastings Distillers barrel aged Negroni
If you love the consumption part of a pre-dinner Negroni more than the making part, Hasting Distillers has your back. Having created all the separate elements (Red Rubis vermouth , East Block gin and L’opera bitter orange) using biodynamic principles, it only made sense to combine them into a ready-made Negroni. But Kate Galloway and David Ramonteu are never ones to do things by halves: they’ve gone one step further by aging it in French oak for 18 months – a process much less common with spirits than wine. “We are one of only a handful of distillers worldwide aging their Negroni,” says Galloway. “And there are very few who are doing so using their own handcrafted products.” The barrel-aging deepens, darkens and ripens all the elements. With only 500 bottles made, this is one for sharing on a special occasion with good friends. Ed's note: The barrel aged Negroni has sold out for this year, with the next batch resting for spring 2023.

Mount Edward vermouth
After tasting the wares of Maidenii and Castagna from Australia in 2014, Duncan Forsyth of Mount Edward was struck by the idea of being the first New Zealand winery to make a contemporary white vermouth. “While the original idea was mine, it was our clever winemaker, Anna Riederer, who made it happen. She’s the reason it tastes so delicious,” he says. The vermouth is based around riesling and chenin but the hero is the local elderflower, prolific in the Central Otago region in November. “We love that it’s a little taste of our part of the world ¬– the elderflower comes straight from our garden at home and we had to add thyme since it’s so abundant down here,” he says. Dry and light, this vermouth is great with soda, in a Negroni or to add a bit of New Zealand flair to a Martini.