Aperitivo Club in Downtown Pittsburgh inspired by Italy

Aperitivo is an Italian word meaning a small drink of liquor taken to stimulate the appetite before a meal. It is usually accompanied by a light snack.

The Aperitivo Club near Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh brings this tradition to life.

Tucked in the back of Market St. Grocery and below Emerson’s, the cocktail and wine bar opened in early June. One of the newest bar establishments in Pittsburgh, it’s located in a former bar that closed during the pandemic. Owners Rachel and David Priselac of Forest Hills have traveled to Italy and wanted to bring some of that experience to Pittsburgh.

“We wanted to make it feel like a cool little Italian grandmother’s back room,” Rachel Priselac said. “When we are in Italy, we like to walk at night and get ideas. We like that it is a small intimate space where people can gather. It is so fun to have a little hidden spot to pop into where you don’t need reservations. It’s about fostering community.”

The decor includes floral wallpaper, tables of two and four and several bar stools.

Bartender Caty Fitzgerald makes every drink from scratch and spends hours prepping. It took her eight months to create the menu because she wanted to learn about the history of the spirits. Fitzgerald often tells Rachel Priselac about dreaming of Italy, she’s so focused on this endeavor.

“I take special care with each drink because I care how it tastes but also how it looks,” Fitzgerald said as she crafted drinks earlier this month. “When I look around, it reminds me of being in someone’s living room. It feels welcoming.”

The drink menu offers cocktails such as the Market St. Spritz, which is strawberry-infused Bordiga Aperitivo, apricot liqueur, Prosecco Rose, orange bitters and seltzer. The Limoncello Last Word has limoncello made of liqueur strega, Italicus (an Italian liquor) and lemon. Mixed drinks start at $14.

There are mocktails and a selection of Italian wines from Sicily, Alba and Abruzzo, as well as Peroni beer.

Appetizers of freshly fried chips and Cippolini onion dip, olive mix marinated in herbs, and Italian cheeses are on the menu.

Knowing Fitzgerald is behind the bar is one of the reasons Ellie Simmons of Lawrenceville stopped in with three friends — Leah Simpson, Isabella Cicco and Kari Karanikos — who she met while they were attending the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

The four ordered drinks — including some non-alcoholic — and a few light bites.

“Caty is truly an artist when she makes drinks,” Simmons said. “This place has a great vibe. We just wanted to check it out.”

Simpson, of Regent Square, said the floral wallpaper and a bold pink picture frame give the place a unique vibe.

Drinks are served in “dainty glasses,” which is cool, Cicco said.

“It’s cozy in here,” Cicco said.

“It is like knowing something other people don’t know,” said Karanikos. ”Because it is located in a space that isn’t visible from the street.”

The Aperitivo Club is located at 435 Market St., near Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh (below Emerson’s and in the back of Market St. Grocery).

Hours are 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday .