Drinking digestifs is drinking for your health though ironically digestif drinks are alcohol based drink in majority, however, there are herbal digestif drink options one could choose, like the herbal Italian digestif Cynar or the Benedectine which are herbal digestif cocktails as your alternative. However, it is your own choice which one would you prefer for the health of your stomach.

Digestifs in General

Feeling your stomach is heavy after a big meal? Do not take it for granted lest you develop dyspepsia or hyperacid stomach, take digestifs. Haven’t clue what digestif is?

For some who is not a frequent drinker or not a drinker at all, one may mistaken a wine or brandy that is serve after a meal in a digestif restaurant (for some restaurant does not offer digestif drinks) to be a desert beverages for the meal or even an ignorant non-drinker will despise such serving not knowing what is for.  But of course, for drunkards this ignorance of this kind of drink is a naïve matter.

For most drinkers even mix different ingredients like liquers which can be flavored, to satisfy the flavor which their wet tongues craves for. This mixture of different ingredients is called cocktail drinks or to a digestif lover – a digestif cocktail drink. Cocktail drinks or even a digestif cocktails are being serve mostly on bars, thus bar hoppers and bar lovers are well immune to these drinks.

Some variety of digestif drinks are: Cognac, Armagnac, Brandies, Whiskies, calvados, Eau de Vie, Crême, Genepy, Cointreau, grappas, flavored liqueurs and Spirits, and fortified wines.

Yes, these drinks are strong hard drinks or beverages which one can be intoxicated or drunk if one drinks much of it. However, the irony is, these drinks are being used as digestifs. The science behind these ironic drinking is that when our stomach is very full it is only then our stomach could tolerate strong alcoholic drinks like the drinks I mention. The alcoholic drinks are said be helping the digestive enzymes of the stomach to digest well the food stock in your stomach. And from this get the common knowledge and working definition of digestif, as well as its reputation among drunkards and exquisite digestif restaurants. Usually, digestifs are dark in color compare to it counterpart which is aperitif- which is taken before the meal to stimulate appetite. Aperitif drinks are light in color.

However, do not mistake these digestif drinks to an herbal tea taken after a meal in a traditional Chinese restaurant. Yes, either drinks or herbal teas serve after meal has the same science of drinking it after meal similar to alcoholic digestifs. But it is long been believed that herbal tea is not as effective as a digestif bring, thus many craves more to digestifs though they are heavy drinks.

Largely, the most digestif restaurant that offer digestif drinks are European restaurants, especially France whose digestif drinks are worldly famous like the French cognac digestif drink which is mostly drink on bars and clubs and restaurants.

Cognac digestif is brandy drink or is a type of brandy that is double distilled and age for about 2 and one half years at oak barrel. It is said the more it ages the more its taste better. It is best serves without any mixture of flavors on it. Cognac drinks gets it name from a place in France name Cognac. Thus, it is indeed a pure French digestif.

Actually, there really variety of digetif drinks or after-meal drinks that is available on the market. And each of this digestif drinks have pairings with a particular meals like the grappa drinks which is best for Italian foods or the Cognac which is best for French foods. However, it does not mean that you should drink digestifs in accordance to what kind or type of food you eat or have eaten, for this depends upon your stomach and taste, because every one of us have different stomach toleration.