Drinks Before Dinner

We all enjoy our beverage of choice before dinner, or what we might associate as cocktails. So, let’s look at a formal definition. It is known as an Aperitif. An Aperitif is an alcoholic drink that is served to stimulate the appetite. Aperitifs are commonly severed with something small to eat, such as crackers, cheese, nuts or other finger foods. Aperitifs, along with appetite stimulation, can also increase the amount of food we crave and intake. The eating of fresh fruit with citric acid can also trigger your salivary glands and boost your appetite. The history of the Aperitif is believed to date back to the Egyptians, but we don’t have any solid record keeping that might prove that! The word aperitif in Latin aperire means “to open”.

So what makes a good aperitif?
We often drink beer, wine, or cocktails before dinner. As far as pre dinner drinks go, higher alcohol drinks and beer can dull your palet, especially if you are having a lighter dish for dinner. Lower alcohol drinks, like a dry sparkling wine or champagne, work best to kick-off a meal. Other appetite stimulant drinks can be found in herb based drinks such as Campari and Lillet. Also consider a Fino Sherry like I wrote about last month. Campari is a red Italian drink that is bitter, so it’s an acquired taste. It would be best to mix this with sparkling water or soda. Lillet is a wine based aperitif that comes in red and white varieties. Lillet was requested by James Bond to be mixed in his martini in the movie Casino Royale. Try the white version chilled with a twist of orange.

As you think about your pre dinner drinks, think about the dinner course that it is to follow, and keep pre dinner drinks lights and refreshing to stimulate your appetite.
Cheers!