Sonoma Aperitif

Laura was an extreme pleasure to learn from, and she was a great host! The apéritif’s are delicious, and the shrubs are so amazing! I highly recommend stopping by and doing a tasting, you will want to take every bottle home.

The best aperitifs in town! Laura was so friendly and has the best hospitality! We sampled all her bottles, which are all fantastic! The only negative is deciding which bottle to buy first! Thanks again Laura, we will definitely be back!

What a wonder stop !!! Thank you Laura the tasting was spectacular !!! So excited to take some shrub home. :)

An incredible experience. A true gem where home made aperitifs hide, made of herbs, fruits and flowers with the greatest care from the owner who welcomed us with a big smile and guided us through her universe of multiple tastes. She was generous with the free tasting and kind to our children who could try non alcoholic variables.

We stopped by this lil Gem on the way out of town and we’re glad we did. My wife and I were very impressed with the quality and hospitality we experienced during our visit. We tried a wonderful tasting of different aperitifs that were made by Laura, who was very gracious and knowledgeable. We can’t wait to go back and would suggest to bring a few people with you to experience it.

On a Friday afternoon, my entire office gathered to experience Sonoma Apéritif. We were welcomed by owner, crafter, graphic designer, and hostess extraordinaire, Laura. From the first sip to the last, we were all captivated.
Her aperitifs are all created with local organic fruits and herbs, often sought after and handpicked by Laura from unusual and forgotten fruit trees & bushes, white wine and fortified with vodka (16% alcohol). We started with tastes of all her current seasonal aperitifs, which included: white nectarine and rose, strawberry and basil, heirloom citrus, ruby red grapefruit, and rangpur lime. They were intoxicating to smell, I think you could probably get away with wearing them as perfume. And they were sublime to sip on; ice cold, lightly sweet and bursting with fresh flavor. The rangpur lime was very unusual, it took a sip or two for my palate to adjust to the flavor. My favorites were the white nectarine and strawberry basil, but they were all very good.
So, you’d think the FREE tasting would end there, but oh no, we were just starting. Then Laura brought out her drinking shrub, which is non-​alcoholic and meant to be mixed into drinks, not imbibed solo. In case you haven’t heard about this stuff it’s becoming all the rage, especially in hyper-​local, hipster, foodie type spots. Laura had a raspberry and a sour cherry shrub that we first sipped on its own. By itself it tastes like an awesome marinade or salad dressing, sweet and very vinegary. But then it was mixed into cocktails; sour cherry with grapefruit apéritif and raspberry with prosecco (my new most favorite drink ever). It’s heaven and I’m already playing with the raspberry shrub I bought at home in assorted cocktail incarnations.
But the tasting didn’t end there either! So, what happens to all that fabulous fruit once it’s been infused into the wine? Laura turns it into jam ($ 8)! So we sampled her jam on bread accompanied by goat cheese. Delicious and such great use of something that might otherwise go into your compost. After sampling blackberry and raspberry/​santa rosa plum, Laura pulled out her sweet red vermouth and anise biscuits. I’ve never really sipped on vermouth, and boy was I surprised how GOOD it was! I had in my mind vermouth tasted like medicine (I have a one time attempt to make a gin martini to thank for that). This was herbaceous, sweet and in perfect company with anise biscotti. Unfortunately, this vermouth was developed for another company and she doesn’t sell it. But, she is working on a version for her company that she will have for sale… hopefully soon!
I really could go on and on about this place and the fabulous products that Laura makes, it was an incredible experience and I can’t wait to keep trying new aperitifs as they come out. I left with a bottle of the white nectarine and rose apéritif ($ 25 regardless of flavor) which was met by oohs and awws from everyone that tried it. It was also very good mixed with some bubbly, it added a subtle sweet note. And of course that raspberry shrub ($ 15), which I have yet to try on food, but I suspect would be a winner in that arena as well.
Because of the type of license she has, she is open by appointment only. But she informed us she is typically there on Sat & Sun from 1pm to 5pm, so just give her a call if you’re in the area. You will seriously thank me for it!

My husband and I were visiting Penngrove recently and we stumbled on Sonoma Apéritif while looking for PW Scoggins winery, and thank goodness we did! Laura was absolutely amazing. Very warm and welcoming. Not only did we try different aperitifs and shrubs, but she answered all our questions (and believe me, we had A LOT since we’d never heard of an apéritif before). The highlights for us were the white nectarine and roses apéritif, grapefruit apéritif, and the sour cherry shrub. We loved that everything was made from local ingredients on site. At the end of our tasting, Laura was nice enough to draw us a little map of the area and let us know what to check out since we’d never been to Penngrove before. All of her recommendations were spot on! Next time we’re in the area, we’ll definitely go back!

We had such an amazing time visiting Sonoma apéritif. Laura is such a gracious host and made us feel ever so welcome. Definitely generous with the pours and the aperitifs all taste amazing. Laura was gracious enough to make us a couple of cocktails as well and treat us to some of her very delicious jam, also homemade. I would definitely recommend visiting Sonoma apéritif, it was such a lovely and relaxing experience for myself and my boyfriend. More people need to know about this place, visit soon and you will not be disappointed.

We didn’t have an appointment but saw the great Unilocal review and decided to see since we were in the area. Laura is great!
She welcomed us in and was super informative. She explained her craft and explained the products that she had. We got an aperitifs as well as a preserve. Both were awesome.

This was one of the best tastings I have done. Laura is truly passionate about her aperitifs and products. We enjoyed hearing her stories, and her generosity and excitement made our trip off the beaten path well worth it. Foodies and seekers of unique and independent artisanal finds should not miss this gem.

Unique experience with a gracious owner. The aperitifs are delicious and fragrant. Highly recommend a visit!

If I could give this place 6 stars, I would.
As we were pulling up, Laura was just about to leave for lunch but decided to make time for us. She gave us tastings from the Bosch Pear, Chinese Quince, Feijoa, Grapefruit & Blood Orange aperitifs. The Bosch Pear & Chinese Quince were our immediate favorites. Having been to France, and tried their aperitifs, the ones that Laura made were far superior. I also love that it’s small batch and she uses what’s in season to make her products.
I was already very happy with the tastings but Laura also let us taste some of her homemade jams. Somewhere along the way she must have read that I was adventurous because she brought out some citrus that I have never heard of before. We got to taste some of those as well.
The best part of the experience was when Laura let us taste another batch of grapefruit apéritif that she had stashed away. The one that we tasted in the beginning was a little too bitter for my tastes so she mentioned that this particular batch was sweeter. It was, and I immediately wanted a bottle of it. That’s when she said that she wanted to bottle it right then and there and that I could bottle my own. This was a particularly big deal to me because I love seeing how things are done from start to finish. It was such a special experience to me and I could never express my gratitude enough to her.
In a way, I hope that this place stays the same so I can keep coming back and have it be special but I also want Laura’s business to thrive and grow. She is a fantastic lady and I hope to be back soon!

Laura is amazing! So sweet, fun and she truly cares about what she’s doing. She is very willing to share her knowledge and talk about her journey to aperitifs. And on top of all of that, her aperitifs are fabulous. Especially the feijoa and blood orange. Do it.

Laura is so cute! WE actually stumbled in on accident (looking for Scoggin Wines) it probably happens all the time, but shes always so inviting and her place is super cute and rustin. It was empty on a Sunday evening, but nevertheless we decided to give it a shot. She is so creative with her flavor combinations. I love how passionate she is, even though this is just her hobby (what a cool hobby!). Her flavors are all pair really well. and I love when she busts out the champagne and makes little mimosas for you to try. They’re to die for! They’d be so refreshing on a summer’s day.
My favorites were the Grapefruit and the Chine Quince Apéritif. It was awesome we got to try all her little concoctions and she fed his jam/​cheese and crackers as well.
Overall it was a lovely experience and so unique! Definitely stop in her (accident or not) and you’ll be humbled by Laura’s graciousness and welcoming :)

My boyfriend and I are new to the area, and we actually found Sonoma Apéritif by accident (we were looking for P.W. Scoggins Wines, which is another great stop right next store). Laura was incredibly friendly and welcoming and we were happy that we found her! Her aperitifs are simple amazing. I love all of them, but some of my favorites include strawberry basil and pear. They are lovely on their own and they are also delicious mixed with a little champagne. I have stopped by Laura’s shop many more times, and every time there is something new and interesting to taste. I would highly recommend visiting if you are in the area.

We stumbled across Sonoma Apéritif and are so glad we did! We got a personal tasting of aperitifs and tasty marmalades from the owners/​producer herself. All of her aperitifs were so creative and delicious! Her marmalades were so fresh and full of fruit favor! Be sure to stop by here and try something different!

This place is awesome! We sort of ended up here by accident and it was such a pleasant surprise. The owner (Laura) started the business a couple of months ago. She uses (mostly local) organic fruits and spices to infuse wine into a lovely before (or after) dinner drink. We tasted grapefruit, quince and anise, pineapple guava, pear and pear and fig, as well as a lovely sour cherry shrub. Laura was a friendly and welcoming host, and it made it a great experience. I bought several bottles, which were quite reasonably priced.

My boyfriend and I stumbled upon a GEM!
The owner was so kind and generous. Our tasting included 5 different types of delicious aperitifs as well as her delicious preserves. She had such a welcoming, knowledgeable, and playful presence. It was a true treat.
We bought a bottle of Grapefruit Qu’est-‘ce Que c’est Apéritif. It has been a favorite at holiday gatherings with a bit of champagne on top!
I’m almost out and headed back for more… maybe fig or quince this time… might have to just try them all again!
Thank you