Well, not exactly, you can drink whatever you like, but many bars take the opportunity to trot out cocktails of many hues to entice the girlies mostly, who then attract the guys and thus the bar succeeds. The array of snacks on offer is as hugely varied as the druinks menu - everything from simple cheese and crackers or raw vegetables to antipasti, bruschetta, meatballs on sticks to chicken legs and more besides - both hot and cold. These are usually placed at strategically located surfaces either near the bar or on a table to facilitate gathering but not so open as to encourage hovering.
Aperitivo seems to be largely a method of bar hopping and it's fun to see pools of people spilling out onto the streets, mostly on the young side, all happy to see and be seen before deciding on the locale and programme of the rest of their evening.
We had been checking out quite a few places that were passed on the way to various dinners on various other evenings, and tonight decided on one close to home, a classic bar with brave souls sitting and standing outside in the almost freezing temperature, a goodly drinks selection and a wide array of snacks on offer. We drank family style (1 beer, 1 classic cocktail, 1 girlie cocktail and 1 prosecco (a light, fizzy Italian wine and a personal favourite) with a dollop of cassis) and got so into our discussion and snack eating that time moved on rather swiftly. Deciding we were way too old and intellectual (i.e., 'lazy) to do the same thing somewhere else, we just ordered another round and hit the snack table again, so aperitivo became dinner became nightcap became shut down.
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