Start Your Night Off Light with an Apéritif
Ahh! It’s so nice to kick back, relax, and enjoy a refreshing cocktail while anticipating dinner. We all love sipping our favorite drink before a meal, but how about changing things up and pouring yourself an apéritif, also known as an appetizer wine?
What’s An Apéritif?
Where does this beautiful drink come from?
The French word apéritif comes from the Latin term aperire, which means “to open” these delightful drinks do just that! They’re an opening to a meal; you could say they get your digestion and palate primed for the food. These flavorful drinks are best served with finger food such as crackers and olives or can be presented as an appetizer.
Popular in France, Italy (where it’s called aperitivo), and other places throughout Europe, apéritifs can be sweet or dry, sometimes a little bitter, with floral, spice, and fruit flavors. Their low alcohol content at 15-20 percent helps you maintain a healthy appetite while sipping.
How to Enjoy
The drink of choice of the Queen.
Look for vermouth, sherry, or pastis and enjoy them on the rocks with a twist, or add seltzer for a fizzy treat! An aperitif should tickle the taste buds, and it should be light and refreshing. Here are a few suggestions to help you on your aperitif adventures.
Try a Lillet, the slightly-sweet French apéritif that comes in white, red, or rose. For these lovely spring and summer days, pour chilled Lillet Blanc over ice and add a twist of lemon peel. Dubonnet is a delicious French aperitif enjoyed on the rocks, and is considered a favorite of Queen Elizabeth’s.
Mix It Up!
Pour us up some of this!
You can sparkle things up with a bubbly glass of champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling rosé. Impress your guests with a simple yet elegant Kir Royal by pouring some black current crème de cassis and topping it off with champagne.
Shake or stir up a martini with vodka or gin and dry vermouth, or try vermouth on its own over ice. Take vermouth to another level and mix yourself a Negroni with equal parts sweet vermouth, gin, Campari from Italy, and an orange twist.
Channel the French with anise-based pastis, or zip to the Greek islands and unwind with their famous anise-flavored Ouzo.
Remember, no one drink makes a good apéritif, so have fun exploring the many delicious ways to sip these “openings” to a meal.
Once you’ve chosen your apéritif, your meal has just gotten started! Learn the perfect wine to pair with your meal at one of our wine-tasting events and keep your delicious meal going!
