"L'apéro" in French is the aperitif. It's to have a drink but not only. We must have good things to eat, around 6PM, after a nice day at the beach. Otherwise it’s wrong. In Marseille, in the south of France, when the sun is still hot, we drink a glass of Pastis, Ricard, called "Jaune" (yellow) with olives, good crisp breads and .. good cheese cut with an Opinel (French knife). This is south of France!