Apéritifs sans alcool - or not

What is your favorite apéritif (wine, Champagne...) and what do you serve to non drinkers?

My favourite apéritif is most often a dry, vibrant white with very forward aromatics (e.g. oaked Ontario Chardonnay, Hungarian Irsai Olivér, dry Muscat - preferably Alsatian). Should I have non-drinking friends over, or if having alcohol isn't possible for whatever reason, then mineral water with a bit of lemon juice, Welch's Grape Juice, V8 and various European blackcurrant juices are my typical offerings.

You mean Welch's Concord Grape Juice?

Yes, sirree! That one indeed. I just love it.

Welch's White Grape Juice is actually made from Niagara, which is of course the white-skinned counterpart to Concord. Niagara is actually a labrusca/vinifera hybrid, which may account for its lowish acidity at full maturity.

I don't think that Welch's has ever produced a juice from Catawba, but the idea is wonderful. Catawba has a beautiful spicy-pear/strawberry aroma.

Haven't seen the Palermo brand you mention, OW, but you can find Aperol and San Pellegrino bitters around, both pretty standard aperitifs in Europe, especially with the college set.

Pimm's Cup is a fave with some, but more in the warm weather, I think.

I often opt for a good bitter, mixed with lime or lemon, over ice, if the bar is particularly good.

And although some people have been known to use it for an aperitif, I favor the utterly delicious Averna as a digestif. Straight, small glass, no adornment. It's not as powerful as Fernet Branca or Underbergh, with more of a soft cola/berry note to it. But careful: it is defnitely habit-forming once you get into it.