Surely you have heard the word "aperitif" more than once. What is it? Just a drink that you drink before eating, in order to quench your thirst and increase your appetite. Aperitifs can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. They are served individually or together with light snacks: olives, lemon slices, almonds.
What do you think when you hear at a dinner party about serving a drink like an aperitif to the table? What will it be: wine or a light cocktail? In fact, there are a lot of types of aperitif. Here are just a few of them:
- wine and vodka products: vermouth, alcoholic cocktails, strong low alcohol drinks, stimulating appetite;
- soft drinks: soda or mineral water (usually chilled);
- freshly squeezed juices: orange, grape, pomegranate, birch, lemon, grapefruit and others.
An aperitif is a truly broad concept, depending on the nature of the dishes served at the table, the desires of the guests and the possibilities of the hosts. This drink may include either one or several components at once. For example, combined aperitifs are common when several types of vermouth, juice and mineral water with ice are served immediately before meals. But you should not confuse this type of aperitif with mixed, when several drinks are served at once, in one glass. The most striking example is a variety of cocktails.
By the way, if the Italian aperitif is mainly wine or vermouth, then other peoples can have very different interpretations of these drinks. For example, in Japan, traditionally, green tea is served before meals, Kyrgyz and Bashkirs prefer koumiss, and Finns love milk. Yes, yes, and this is also an aperitif. What is it and how is the serving with us? Now let's figure it out.
At dinner receptions and receptions, aperitifs are offered at the very beginning of the evening, while guests are still gathering. Usually they are delivered by waiters on small trays covered with napkins. And it also happens that aperitifs and various cocktails are brought at the end of the event, and then guests are offered coffee. Although experts prefer to call the drinks that complete the feast digestives. Their main task is to harmoniously complement the meal and facilitate digestion. Often, brandy, balms, liquors, port, etc. are served as digestifs.
And you should also know (if they brought you an aperitif) that this is not just a drink, but a kind of indicator of your ability to behave in society. Advice to men: look around. If a lady sits near you, be sure to ask her what she would like to drink, or offer a drink to your liking. Only after that can you take an aperitif for yourself. If on the tray, besides the glasses, there is also a snack - a slice of lemon, for example, or olives on skewers - it also needs to be offered. Putting an empty glass back on a tray is not recommended, because for this there should be a specially designated table in the corner of the room.
Now you know what an aperitif is, and do not get confused if you bring it somewhere in an expensive restaurant. Have a nice rest!
