Martini Fiero
Tonic

Martini keeps it simple: equal parts Fiero and tonic. The brand’s Dutch site specifies 7 cl of each, while the international site says 7.5 cl. The ratio works because Fiero is quite sweet on its own, and the quinine in the tonic provides a dry, bitter counterpoint. More tonic makes the drink drier and lighter; more Fiero makes it sweeter and fuller. Taste the first one and feel free to adjust by a centiliter. Keep both chilled, though, because warm tonic melts the ice and makes it go flat.

A classic Indian tonic works best: it has enough quinine to balance Fiero’s sweetness. Mediterranean tonics are lighter and more herbal, giving you a softer, more floral drink. Flavored tonics, such as cucumber or berry, compete with the orange, so it’s best to skip them. A light tonic makes the drink less sweet, but also takes away some of its body. Choose small 20 cl bottles if possible: a large bottle quickly loses its fizz after opening, which immediately affects a drink made with so much tonic.

They may look like two similar orange aperitifs, but they’re different drinks. Fiero is a vermouth: a wine with orange, herbs, and wormwood, at around 14.5 percent. Aperol is a bitter aperitif made with alcohol, herbs, and orange, at 11 percent. Fiero is juicier and fruitier, while Aperol is more bitter and spicier. They also have different usual pairings: Fiero is served with tonic, while Aperol is served with prosecco and sparkling water in an Aperol Spritz. Both belong in a large glass with plenty of ice, and both are garnished with an orange slice.

For six glasses, you’ll need 42 cl of Fiero, a little more than half a 75 cl bottle, and 42 cl of tonic. Don’t mix it in a pitcher in advance, as tonic quickly loses its fizz in an open pitcher. Chill the Fiero in a carafe or pitcher, for example from our pitchers, and pour 7 cl over the ice in each glass. Top up immediately with tonic from a freshly opened bottle. Slice the orange ahead of time and cover and refrigerate the slices, so each glass is ready in half a minute.

For an alcohol-free version, you can use Martini Vibrante, an alcohol-free aperitif from the same brand with bergamot and a red color. It tastes spicier and less like orange than Fiero, so the orange slice in the glass does more here. Keep the ratio half and half with tonic and use just as much ice. If you want something fruitier, see the Alcohol-Free Spritz. For a drier, spicier version, the Alcohol-Free Gin and Tonic is a good alternative.

A little, for an aperitif. The 7 cl of Fiero at around 14.5 percent contains about 1 cl of pure alcohol, or around 8 grams. That’s less than one standard drink of 10 grams. With 14 cl of drink, the alcohol content in the glass is about 7 percent, and it drops further as the ice melts. For comparison: a Campari Spritz contains around 20 grams of alcohol, and a gin and tonic with 5 cl of gin about 16 grams. That makes the Fiero Tonic one of the lighter aperitifs you can serve.