Let's be honest: who doesn't want to be a little bit Italian? To glide through Rome on a Vespa like Marcello Mastroianni, wearing an impeccable suit? Or sit in St Mark's Square in Venice at dusk, nibbling cicchetti and sipping an Aperol spritz? This is la dolce vita, and this is aperitivo - Italy's take on drinks and small snacks.

Aperitivo brings together 80 recipes from across Italy, and tells the stories behind the food and the drinks that shape the aperitif hour. The book opens with the aperitivi themselves - Campari and Aperol - as well as recipes for classic Italian cocktails (including the perfect Negroni) and a guide to Italian wine. Kay then introduces simple recipes for Antipasto and Pinzimonio; Tramezzini; Bruschette and Crostini; Seafood; Meat and Fowl; Vegetables, Dairy and Eggs; Bread and Baking; and Dolci. So let's cinch in our waists, pop on some cat's eye sunglasses, and make like Sophia Loren. It's time for Aperitivo.

Kay Plunkett-Hogge is a well-respected food and drink writer with a wide culinary repertoire and an in-depth knowledge of the drinks industry. Kay started her food career with a bespoke location catering service for the fashion business, having been a model agent in New York and London, and a movie coordinator in Bangkok and Los Angeles during the 80s and 90s. Since then, she has worked as a writer and food consultant, most notably with the team behind the successful Leon restaurants - she is co-author of Leon: Family & Friends. Kay has written for FT Weekend, Delicious and Olive and currently writes a regular cocktail column for the Daily Telegraph.