Digestive

A digestif is an alcoholic drink served after a meal. There are many styles of digestifs, from amaros and fortified wines to brandies and herbal liqueurs. Some cocktails can also be digestifs. The one thing that all of these have in common is that they're intended to aid in the digestion of food.

 

You may have had a digestif without knowing it, too. If you've sipped a glass of scotch or a snifter of brandy after dinner, you have enjoyed a digestif.

 

It is not entirely easy to define a digestif because so many different beverages can fall into this category. A digestif is both what you drink and when you drink it.

 

Traditionally, a digestif is considered any alcoholic beverage that you would enjoy after a large dinner. It is not a dessert drink, however. You can enjoy it during, after, or instead of dessert, but a digestif tends to be far less sweet and higher in alcohol than the typical dessert drink. Also, it's rare to find a digestif with cream, chocolate, or any other decadent ingredients.

 

A digestif is quite the opposite of an aperitif, a drink enjoyed before a meal to prepare the stomach for digestion.