Reported demise of the apéritif greatly exaggerated

by Brent Gregston

Article published on the 2009-05-16 Latest update 2009-05-21 12:09 TU

J. Star / CC-by-nc-sa-2.0

The French are drinking less. But does that mean that they are going to give up the aperitif? The apéro as the French call their pre-dinner drink is more than just a beverage, it’s the French way of life, “a moment where we take the time to live," according to Francois Simon, food critic for Le Figaro newspaper.

Apéro comes from Latin aperire, which means “to open”. It is meant to stimulate the appetite. What it really means is catching up a with a friend, an all-out flirtation or putting the world to rights (refaire le monde) at the end of the day.

Unlike the American cocktail hour, the apéro can involve the entire family with children drinking non-alcoholic beverages. An aperitif may be a glass of dry white wine or champagne, a glass of Lillet, pastis or Dubonnet.

It might be concocted from a secret herbal recipe. But the message is always the same: there is no hurry to eat. The idea is to “work” on your appetite.

But is the apéro now under threat? Ironically, at a time when consumption of wine throughout the world is on the increase, the French are drinking less and less.

An Ipsos poll found that less than half the French under 35 now drink an apero. The trend is to boire moins mais mieux – drinking "less but better” and occasionally, rather than habitually.

Experts say the French are becoming more health-conscious. Some people blame the decline of the apéro on the smoking ban in French bars and restaurants. And legislators have raised the minimum legal drinking age to 18 from 16.

The economic downturn is playing a role, too. According to the website of the Champagne winegrowers' committee (CIVC), sales of French champagne dropped 2.6 per cent in the first eight months of this year.

Ultimately, the best way to help save the French apéro might be to export it as "art de l’aperitif". The appeal is almost universal. French producers of wine and cheese are trying to promote the apéritif in 21 countries across the world around the world through an organization called Sopexa.

Serge Lozach, managing director for Sopexa USA, explained, “What we are trying to do is to take the concept of the aperitif and bring it into people’s homes.

"Within the next couple of years, the US will be the world’s largest consuming country in the world in terms of volume, which is opening a lot of eyes," he says, "but if you take that one step further and realize that the per capita consumption is so low, the future potential is enormous".

"Pretty soon it is not going to be just the coasts. Everybody will be drinking wine", he predicts.