Sweet, Bitter or Sour: Which Aperitif Suits You?

You love the scent of lemon zest. But please, not too sour. A little bitterness is welcome. So how do you turn that into the right aperitif?

Your taste sets the direction. Sweetness, bitterness and acidity can meet in one glass. Add aromas, fizz and the ingredients you mix with. These seven questions help you make sense of your preferences and choose an aperitif more consciously. What actually makes an aperitif, we explain in “What Is an Aperitif?”

Sweet, bitter or sour: how do the tastes differ?

You know sweetness from sugar or honey. You recognise acidity in lemon juice, for example. Bitterness meets you in unsweetened coffee or tonic water. These familiar examples help you find words for what you taste.

Fruity doesn’t automatically mean sweet. A drink can smell of citrus and still taste only slightly sweet. “Fresh”, too, describes an overall impression, not a basic taste of its own.

When choosing, it’s therefore worth separating two questions: Which aromas do you like? And how sweet, bitter or sour should it be?

Your taste sets the direction.

How do you find out which aperitif you like?

Start with things you already enjoy eating or drinking. You don’t need a tasting session with several alcoholic drinks.

• Coffee: Do you like its bitter note, or do you prefer to add milk and sugar?
• Lemonade: Are you after the sweetness, or do you like a distinctly tart impression?
• Citrus fruit: Are you drawn more to the juicy flesh or to the scent of the peel?

These answers are pointers. Someone who likes espresso won’t necessarily like every bitter aperitif. But the answers help you shop more purposefully.

Put your preference into one simple sentence: “I like citrus aromas, a little sweetness and not much bitterness.” Someone behind the bar can do far more with that than with “Something fresh”.

Which aperitif suits you if you don’t like it too bitter?

Look at the description of the taste profile. References to sweetness, acidity and fruit give you a first orientation. Colour and fruit name alone don’t reveal how bitter an aperitif tastes.

Take the mixer into account, too. Tonic water brings its own bitter note through quinine. Classic versions often also contain sugar; sugar-free versions can taste sweet as well, thanks to sweeteners. Tonic is therefore not a neutral way to lengthen your drink.^[1]

If you want to avoid extra bitterness, unsweetened soda is one option. The bitterness of the base doesn’t disappear. But you don’t add another bitter note from tonic.

Sweet and sour at once: how do you find your balance?

Think of lemonade: sweetness and acidity can both be clearly noticeable at the same time. This very interplay can make an aperitif interesting, too.

Which balance you enjoy is personal. Perhaps you’re looking for a sweet start with a tart contrast. Perhaps the acidity should take centre stage.

A fixed base recipe helps when mixing. Change just one ingredient at first, in a small amount. That way, you can tell what makes the difference.

A dash of lemon juice can change the taste. But it doesn’t remove any sugar from the drink. If you want to avoid extra sweetness, check the syrup and mixer in your recipe above all.

How do soda, tonic and prosecco change your aperitif?

The mixer is part of the taste. The same aperitif base can come across differently depending on what it’s paired with.

With prosecco, the label is worth a look: in terms of residual sugar, Brut is classified as drier than Extra Dry. The name Extra Dry can therefore be misleading. The sweetness level is a pointer; the overall taste also depends on the individual wine.^[2]

Soda and tonic are therefore not simply interchangeable.^[1][3] Choose your mixer according to the result you want in the glass.

Orange, Lemon or Lime: which LOLA taste profile speaks to you?

The three LOLA varieties give you different directions for your choice. They are based on their official taste descriptions:

These descriptions show the direction. They are not a ranking of sweetness or acidity. “Fresh + Sour”, for example, does not mean that Lime contains less sugar than Lemon.

Choose the direction that makes you curious and combine it with a fitting serve. You’ll find ideas in the LOLA recipes.

How can you adapt your aperitif to your taste?

Start with a proven recipe and measure the ingredients carefully. For the LOLA Spritz, you use 6 cl (60 ml) LOLA, 4 cl (40 ml) prosecco and a splash of soda. Add ice cubes and a matching citrus slice.

If you want to adjust the recipe, go about it step by step:

• Too sweet for your taste? First add a little unsweetened soda. This dilutes the drink; the sugar already in it stays in the glass.
• Want more acidity? Add a few drops of fresh lemon or lime juice and taste before adding more.
• Too bitter? Look at the mixer first. If you’re using tonic, try a version with soda next time.
• Like the mix? Note down the variety, mixer and amounts. That way, you can make it exactly the same way again.

Your profile doesn’t have to be set in stone. For today, one direction is enough: the bittersweet side of Orange, the play of sweetness and acidity in Lemon, or the fresh, tart character of Lime.

What speaks to you? Once you’ve found your favourite, our article “Aperitif at Home: 7 Tips for Drinks, Snacks and a Lovely Evening” gives you ideas for the perfect setting.

Sources and further reading

1. Schweppes: Indian Tonic Water and Zero – ingredients and product information (German)
2. Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC: Types
3. Thomas Henry: Soda Water (German)