The Best Appetizers to Serve at Your Next Dinner Party in 2024

For an after-dinner sip, try the best digestives to try. Want to impress your fellow cocktail lovers? Recreate your favorite bar at home with our The best drinks cart ideas.

The best appetizers to try at a glance

• The best alternative for Aperol fans: Select Appetizer, £14.39
• The best amaro: Amaro Santoni, £25.25
• The best summer appetizer: Fortnum’s x Sommer English appetizer, £27.50
• The best lemon appetizer: Then Lemon Appetizer, £18.99
• The best orange appetizer: Savoy orange, £21.95
• The best wine-based aperitif: El Bandarra Al Fresco Aperitif, £22.99
• The best French aperitif: Chambery bitter sinkhole, £15.99
• Best for Bellini fans: Today, the Venetian Spritz, £14
• The best classic single: Campari soft drink, £10.95 (5 x 9.8cl)
• The most versatile appetizer: Italicus Bergamot Rosolio, £25.99
• The best vegetable snack: early, £15
• The best alternative to Campari: Pampelle Ruby L’Apero, £22.25
• The best fruity appetizer: Sacred Rosehip Liqueur, £23.99
• The best refreshing appetizer: Knob, £43.99

The best appetizers to try in 2024

Select appetizer

The best alternative for Aperol fans

Drizzle like the Venetians do with this rich, sweet-tart aperitif. The combination of bitter rhubarb, vibrant strawberry flavour and fresh juniper berries creates a complex drink with a crisp, citrusy finish. Just pour three parts prosecco and a splash of sparkling water over two parts Select in a glass with ice and garnish with a green olive for the perfect Italian summer drink.

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Amaro Santoni

The best amaro

This sweet Tuscan Amaro aperitif is an elegant summer aperitif. It is floral and herbaceous, with spices of rhubarb and clove, and has a balanced bitterness. It can be drunk with tonic water.

Fortnum’s x Sommer English Aperitif

A British take on an Italian classic – both the drink and its glass bottle are made in Yorkshire. The combination of raspberry and rhubarb, plus an infusion of spices and herbs, come together in a distinctive summer berry flavour profile, reminiscent of sun-kissed blackcurrants. Serve it with ice and sparkling water, or mix it into a spritz with the addition of sparkling wine.

Available in:
Fortnum & Mason (£27.50)

Then lemon appetizer

The best lemon appetizer

This aperitif, made with lemons and infused with Procida lemon leaves, is a little sweet, but still maintains an appealing level of bitterness. We tried it with soda, as suggested, but it is equally delicious with a splash of ginger beer or with prosecco. A lovely lemon-flavoured amaro to experiment with.

Available in:
Drinks supermarket (£18.99)

Savoy Orange

The best citrus appetizer

This sweet-tart Italian orange wine-based drink was inspired by the spices of the Silk Road. Infused with spices like ginger and saffron along with orange, bergamot, and lime, it’s full of delicate yet lively bitterness, juicy citrus, and subtle spice. It’s a natural choice for a spritz, but at just 17.2% alcohol by volume, it would be delicious mixed with ginger ale for a low-alcohol aperitif.

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El Bandarra Al Fresco Aperitif

The best wine-based aperitif

Spanish vermouth brand El Bandarra also makes this tasty aperitif, using Spanish Grenache infused with Mediterranean herbs. Refreshing and distinctly bittersweet, with notes of grapefruit and flowers, try it in an American cocktail.

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Chambery bitter dolin

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The best French aperitif

This smooth, herbaceous liquid is the floral French answer to the popular Italian aperitif, created by infusing herbs and fruit with wine at the only house still producing vermouth under the traditional Chambéry appellation. Lots of bright fruit notes, such as blueberries and strawberries, are balanced by bitter orange, dark chocolate and a hint of honey. Enjoy it on the rocks with a slice of orange or pair it with sparkling wine and soda for a delicate French-style spritz.

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Nowadays, the Venetian spritz

The best for Bellini fans

With a taste similar to Campari, this spritz has notes of vanilla and a subtle effervescence. Serve with seafood dishes or appetizers. It also has a low alcohol content of only 6%, making it easy to drink.

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Campari soda

The best simple classic

Campari has launched a ready-to-drink version of its classic aperitif. No surprises, just perfectly mixed Campari and soda (in elegantly small glass bottles), designed to be served with ice and a slice of orange.

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Italicus Bergamot Rosolio

The best versatile appetizer

This delicate Italian aperitif is a great addition to your drinks cart. Ingredients such as bergamot zest, aromatic cedar lemons and lavender add a citrus and floral touch as well as a lingering finish to cocktails. Pair it with prosecco and a couple of olives for a refreshing summer spritz or serve it with tonic.

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Early

The best vegetable snack

This classic bitter Italian aperitif is flavoured with artichokes, but don’t let that put you off. The end result is sensual, earthy and subtly vegetal. It works wonderfully in a spritz, swap it for Campari in a negroni or drink it neat on the rocks.

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Pampelle Ruby L’Apero

The best alternative to Campari

Ruby red grapefruit from Corsica steals the show in this sweet-tart Italian aperitif. Combined with citrus peels (floral yuzu, fragrant cedar and bitter Haitian oranges), eau-de-vie and natural botanical extracts, it makes a wonderfully tart and aromatic alternative to Campari in spritzes and negronis. Mix with prosecco and a slice of ruby ​​red grapefruit for a refreshing spritz.

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Sacred Rosehip Liqueur

The best fruity appetizer

Made with rose hips, rhubarb, orange and ginger, this liqueur has a moderate bitterness and earthiness, and a sweet and fruity edge. Try mixing it with sweet vermouth and gin for an English twist on a negroni.

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Knob

The best refreshing appetizer

This light and refreshing aperitif has delicate notes of elderflower and citrusy, aromatic grapefruit. Serve in a spritz with sparkling wine, plenty of ice and a slice of fresh grapefruit.

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