Salute!

You might notice that a lot of Italian culture gravitates around eating and drinking and being merry. This time let's focus not on what's on your plate, but what's in your glass: specifically digestives/after-dinner drinks.

The idea of an after-dinner or digestive drink is to help settle your belly after you've stuffed it with all that great Italian food. For this reason they are pretty strong, and meant to be sipped (not taken all at once like a shot).

Here's some of the more popular ones, though there are a lot more out there to discover:

Amaro: this is a very particular drink made from a lot of different herbs and spices. Some brands are a little sweeter than others . If you prefer sweeter, try a type called "Montenegro" or "Lucano"!

Limoncello: this sweet little yellow drink might remind you of a "lemon drop" actually. It comes from the south of Italy's Amalfi Coast and is made from the rinds of lemons.

Grappa: warning, this is not for the weak-tongued. This southern Italian drink is made from the dregs of wine (the stems, peels, etc of the grapes) will surely burn away any indigestion you might have.

Sambuca: for those who like anise, this is made from anise and elder flowers. It's commonly served with a few coffee beans floating on top, or aflame.

Vin Santo: This is a typical Tuscan drink, which is like a very strong sweet wine. It's usually served with "biscotti", little almond cookies which can be dipped in it.