SanBitter came before the modern AF movement by about six decades. San Pellegrino launched it in 1961 as Italy's first alcohol-free aperitivo, and it has barely changed since. It arrives in miniature 100ml glass bottles — the same format it's always been sold in — and the whole point is that you drink it straight, chilled, in one sitting. The taste sits squarely in bitter-orange territory. There's grapefruit pith, sweet spice, and a herbal thread running through it that recalls vermouth more than it does a fizzy drink. At 15g of sugar per 100ml it's quite sweet, but the bitterness holds its own and the finish dries out cleanly. The carbonation is light — this is no aggressive sparkling water, it's closer to a lightly effervescent cordial. It's widely compared to Campari, which is fair. It lacks the complexity and depth of a proper aperitivo bitter — the flavour is built from flavourings and black carrot concentrate rather than a botanical maceration — but as a zero-alcohol stand-in at aperitivo hour, it does the job with more character than most purpose-made AF alternatives. Widely available in Italian delis and online; occasionally spotted on Ocado.