The apéro, short for apéritif, is the French ritual of drinks and small bites before dinner, usually between 6 and 8 pm, and it needs no cooking at all: olives, tinned fish, sliced salami, a little cheese, good bread, and something cold to drink. It is the easiest kind of entertaining there is, because the whole point is generosity without fuss. Everything can come straight from the pantry and be on the table in twenty minutes.
The short answer
- Apéro is pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, 6 to 8 pm, never a full meal.
- The classic spread: olives, a tin or two of good conservas, sliced salami, one cheese, baguette.
- Plan 4 to 6 bites per guest per hour, and one small plate or napkin each.
- Serve everything in the vessels it came in or small bowls; effort should look invisible.
- Drinks: chilled white or rosé, a light beer, or a fine juice for a no-alcohol table.
- Every item here is shelf-stable or fridge-ready and available at The French Pantry.
What is the French apéro exactly?
Apéritif means the drink taken before dinner to open the appetite, and apéro has come to mean the whole occasion: friends, an unhurried hour, and small salty things to eat. It is not a cocktail party and not dinner. The food is there to keep the conversation going, which is why the best apéro spreads are assembled, not cooked. In France it happens on weeknights as easily as weekends; the invitation "venez prendre l'apéro" is the most casual and most common way to have people over.
What do you serve at an apéro?
Five categories cover the table. First, olives: fat, meaty Gordal olives with a touch of chili, or the cocktail mix of olives and pickles, which does the work of two bowls. Second, conservas, the great Spanish contribution to apéritif hour: sardines in olive oil on buttered bread, or yellowfin tuna ventresca forked over toasts, opened at the table from our canned fish collection. Third, charcuterie: a white truffle salami or a Spanish-style chorizo salami, sliced thin just before guests arrive. Fourth, one cheese only, something easy like a young sheep cheese, cut into cubes or thin wedges. Fifth, bread: a fresh baguette, sliced, with excellent salted butter set out beside it.
How much food do you need per guest?
Apéro precedes dinner, so restraint is built in: plan 4 to 6 bites per person per hour. For six guests, one large can of olives, two tins of fish, one salami, one cheese, and one baguette is a generous hour. If the evening is going to stretch into apéro dînatoire, the extended version that replaces dinner, double everything and add one warm element or a sweet finish.
What do you drink at an apéro?
Anything cold and not too strong. A chilled white or rosé, a light beer, or the classic French bitters and spritzes all belong. For guests skipping alcohol, pour something that still feels considered: Alain Milliat's fine fruit juices are made to be served in a wine glass and treated exactly like a bottle worth discussing. Whatever you pour, the glass should be small and refilled often rather than large and forgotten.
The 20-minute setup
Minute 0 to 5: drinks in the refrigerator or an ice bucket, bread sliced, butter out to soften. Minute 5 to 10: olives and pickles into small bowls, with a second small bowl for pits. Minute 10 to 15: slice the salami and cheese, arrange on a board or plate. Minute 15 to 20: open the conservas, set them on small plates with forks and the bread alongside, napkins out, music on. The tins are opened at the table on purpose: in Spain and increasingly in France, a beautiful tin is the serving dish.
Where can you buy apéro staples in the US?
Everything in this guide, the olives, the conservas, the salamis, and the cheeses, is available at The French Pantry. Pantry items ship anywhere in the US, and fresh items travel cold via overnight air.
Related reading
- Perelló Gordal Olives: The Spanish Snacking Classic
- La Brújula: A Guide to Spanish Conservas (Tinned Fish)
- Alain Milliat Juices: The Wine List of Fruit Juice
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
Frequently asked questions
What time is apéro in France?
Typically between 6 and 8 pm, before dinner. On long summer evenings it starts later and lingers; the rule is simply that dinner follows.
What is the difference between apéro and apéro dînatoire?
A standard apéro is drinks and small bites before dinner. An apéro dînatoire is abundant enough to replace dinner entirely: double the food, add a warm dish or a sweet, and let it run the evening.
Is it acceptable to serve food straight from the tin or can?
Yes, when the tin is good. Fine conservas and quality olives are traditionally served in their original tins, which signals you bought the good ones.
What can you serve guests who do not drink alcohol?
A fine fruit juice served in a wine glass, sparkling water with lemon, or a no-alcohol spritz. The point of the apéritif is the ritual and the glass in hand, not the alcohol.
Can you prepare an apéro in advance?
Mostly it is assembly, so twenty minutes before guests arrive is enough. Slice salami and cheese at the last minute so they do not dry out, and open tins at the table.