For decades, aperitifs and aromatic liqueurs were the discreet stars of the Mediterranean midday. Vermouths, bitters, amaros, spritzes… all of them embodied a social, relaxed, almost ritualistic moment. But today, this category is experiencing a revival, it’s being reinvented as a symbol of conscious consumption, emotional design, and contemporary mixology.
Historically rooted in Southern Europe, the aperitif category is now expanding into new territories. Its consumption is steadily growing in the U.S., the U.K., and Latin America. Markets where it had little presence until recently. This is also about a new narrative of consumption: aperitifs are no longer limited to daytime. The night now belongs to them too.
From a branding and design perspective, this transformation is fascinating. The visual language of aperitifs has long been defined by brightness, botanicals, and freshness. Today, without abandoning these codes, we see a clear aesthetic expansion into the nocturnal: deeper, more sophisticated palettes, mystical references, and more immersive, layered narratives. The core values remain: sharing, ritual, sensorial pleasure but the context evolves.
In short: aperitifs are thriving in the era of the low-alcohol lifestyle, driven by consumers who want to drink better, not necessarily more. For those of us working in branding and design, this is fertile ground for storytelling without limits.
Below, we share some relevant projects developed with our partner ESTAL.
