While an aperitif is an alcoholic beverage that preps the palate for food – think spritz, fizz or spirit – a digestif is a boozy drink that aids digestion post-meal, making them the perfect bookends either side of a sumptuous feast.
Translating as ‘digestive’ in French and derived from ‘digestivus’ in Latin, the word refers to what you drink and when you drink it, just like an aperitif does.
Similarly, different cultures and countries tend to enjoy specific digestifs, whether brandies in France, fortified wines in Spain or bitters in Italy, although it all really comes down to personal taste.
Unlike lighter, brighter aperitifs, digestifs are usually high in alcohol and categorised by deep, rich flavours. Often, they’re consumed neat and are frequently referred to as a ‘nightcap’. Really: how could one say no?
Lately, the digestif – once seen as a stuffy, unnecessary tradition at the end of a long, formal dinner – is enjoying something of a renaissance. Indeed, modern-day producers are creating interesting digestifs appealing to an entirely new crowd, while still engaging long-standing connoisseurs, and cult classics are being eagerly rediscovered and dusted off from the back of the booze cabinet.
Dawn Davies, head of buying at The Whisky Exchange, confirms: “Digestifs are 100 per cent on the rise. We have seen a huge spike in sales on amaro and Chartreuse, both tripling in sales over the last two years, while a reignition of love for these wonderful spirits is off the back of the Aperol and vermouth trend.”
Here, we swirl, sniff and greedily slurp our way through the best digestifs out there, providing postprandial perfection. Proof, if it were needed, that the best things really do come to those who wait.
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Mr Black Double Cacao Whisky & Coffee Liqueur
A limited release that you’ll want to stock up on, Mr Black’s Double Cacao Whisky & Coffee Liqueur is the brainchild of two of Australia’s most innovative spirits brands: Mr Black and Starward.
This new liqueur sees Tanzanian cacao nibs infused into Mr Black’s Coffee Liqueur which is then blended with Starward’s Peated Finish Whisky to make the perfect smoky rich coffee chocolate digestif.
Whether you want to make a mocha martini, a chocolate old fashioned or spike your hot chocolate, this liqueur will do the trick during any season.
Buy now, Mr Black
ADRIATICO Roasted Amaretto
Originating in Puglia, ADRIATICO Amaretto uses almonds hand-picked in the Italian countryside as the base of this floral digestif, which are then roasted, distilled and blended with cinnamon, cocoa, coffee and sea salt. It represents a new generation of amaretto liqueurs that we, for one, welcome with open arms.
Buy now £39.38, Amazon
Giffard Menthe de Pastille
Originally created in the late 19th Century by pharmacist-turned-distiller Émile Giffard, Giffard Menthe de Pastille uses the essential oils of peppermint to serve up an aromatic and fresh digestif that cleans the palate, whether enjoyed by itself or mixed into a gin cocktail. Mouthwash this ain’t.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon
El Rayo No1: Plata
We’re going to put this out there: tequila is the perfect after-dinner tipple. Clean, vibrant and refreshing, El Rayo is a modern take on the traditional spirit, crafted by best friends Tom Bishop and Jack Vereker who swapped Peckham, London, for Guadalajara, Mexico, to chase their dreams. The result is a bottle that’s brimming with herbal aromas and citrus notes with a hint of peppery spice. Sip it, don’t slam it.
Buy now £34.00, Sainsbury's
Chambord Liqueur
Instantly recognisable thanks to its short, stout, spherical bottle, Chambord is a delicious dark liqueur blended from dark raspberries, Cognac and vanilla. It makes for a smooth and decadent digestif by itself, but you can use it in cocktails, too. Liquid velvet sliding over the tongue.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Villon Distilled Spiced French Liqueur
Enjoyed neat or with a single ice cube, Villon – a newly-launched liqueur – is crafted in France and made from a blend of hush-hush spirits closely guarded by the family makers (aren’t they all?). Expect toasted oak, vanilla, spice, orange blossom and peach. The bottle – all glossy black – is a thing of beauty.
Buy now £37.99, Amazon
Assunti di Capri Limoncello Verde with Mufariello Lemons
Recreate all the magic of a holiday restaurant by dusting off the limoncello after dinner. The twist? Green limoncello, made with the peel of unripe mufariello lemons that have a sharper taste than those used for the traditional yellow variety, together with a distinctive green colour. Fresh, sharp and zesty, this is one to pour straight from the freezer.
Buy now £40.00, Sacla
Ojo de Dios Mezcal ODD Café
Who knew that coffee and mezcal were happy bedfellows? Combining both to spectacular effect is Ojo de Dios Mezcal ODD Café, handcrafted using mezcal that’s balanced with coffee beans to deliver a smoky digestif packed with chocolate, liquorice and butterscotch flavours.
Buy now £39.24, Amazon
Maestro Dobel Añejo Tequila
Sourced from single estates, distilled from blue agave and bottled in Mexico, we implore you to get your chops around this top-notch tequila. Ultra-smooth and slightly spiced, it’s a proper treat that’s sure to go down well at a dinner party. Present in the centre of table and encourage everyone to get stuck in.
Buy now £79.99, Selfridges
Club Soda Gimber No 1
Make non-drinkers feel like grown-ups with Gimber No 1 by Club Soda. Combining crushed ginger root, lemon juice, cane sugar and herbs, it can be sipped on the rocks like a whisky, while the sweet concoction packs serious heat.
Buy now £24.99, Selfridges
Nomad Outland Whisky
We love a bottle with a story, and this Scotch certainly delivers, distilled and aged in Scotland – from a blend of 25 carefully-selected grain whiskies and five regional malts, no less – before it’s aged for up to eight years in Bourbon casks and a further three in Oloroso sherry butts. It’s then transported to Jeréz, Spain, for a final 12 months in butts used for Pedro Ximénez. The result? Sublime flavours of warm spices, sweet raisins and sticky honey.
Buy now £41.99, Selfridges
Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac
A bottle to bring out for special occasions – and, indeed, the guests you really, really like – the Hermitage 1995 Grande Champagne Cognac is remarkably mature with flavours of butterscotch, walnuts, biscuits, baked apple peel, mandarin peel and damson. Rich and complex, this is an investment digestif.
Buy now £132.92, Master of Malt
Fernet-Branca
Beloved by bartenders, Fernet-Branca is arguably the most famous of Italian digestifs, invented in Milan back in 1845. Made to a secret family recipe, it’s aromatic and bitter with over 27 herbs, spices and roots sourced from four continents. Its signature amber hues are thanks to a complex ageing process in oak barrels for at least a year. Deep, earthy and bitter.
Buy now £21.95, Amazon
Hine Harvey Nichols x Hine V.S.O.P. Cognac
An exclusive collaboration between Hine and Harvey Nicols, this V.S.O.P. Cognac is a comforting digestif that’s designed for sipping, rich and biscuity with a silky-smooth texture and vibrant flavours of wildflowers, lemon posset, shortbread and orange blossom. Perfect with a medium-bodied cigar at the after party.
Buy now £75.00, Harvey Nichols
Warre’s Otima Colheita 1992 Tawny Port
The 1992 Otima Colheita Tawny by Warre’s, one of the world’s leading producers of port, exemplifies the label’s expertise. Aromas of molasses and dates are complemented by orange peel, toffee and oak on the palate finished with a sprinkling of warm oriental spices.
Buy now £59.99, Selfridges
Cynar Liqueur
If Aperol is the signature Italian aperitif, Cynar is the signature Italian digestif, swapping oranges for artichokes to produce a dark-brown digestif with a bittersweet flavour. Do as the Italians do and serve it on the rocks, or replace the Campari for Cynar in a negroni cocktail, to round out the evening.
Buy now £18.25, The Whisky Exchange
Chartreuse Green Liqueur
As you’d expect for a liqueur that’s packed with 130 herbs, Chartreuse is famously green in colour, while it’s herbal, sweet and spicy to the taste. Interestingly, the digestif was first created by Carthusian monks in 1605, but we think it’s time to dust off a classic and put it back on the table.
Buy now £42.94, Master of Malt
Cipriani Amaro 7 Parti
Made from the leaves and stems of purple artichokes grown on the island of St. Anthony of Torcello in Venice – owned by the iconic Cipriani family – this amaro is aromatic, bitter and smooth. Serve over ice.
Buy now £38.00, Sacla
Bénédictine D.O.M Liqueur
Created by monks in Normandy, France, for strength as they worked, Bénédictine D.O.M is a sweet and aromatic liqueur comprising 27 herbs and spices that deliver its distinctive flavour. Expect a rich and full digestif with notes of coffee, vanilla, saffron and gingerbread.
Buy now £29.25, The Whisky Exchange
