First is an important position. You never forget the first time. First impressions are definitely lasting, if not the last. The first cut is the deepest. So, on that thought, the first drink is perhaps the most important of the evening.
An aperitif is meant to ignite the appetite, leave you wanting more to appease the senses. Generally wine and wine-based drinks are what qualify as aperitifs but with cocktails becoming the contemporary rage, the definition has expanded to anything the bar (and your guests) can hold. To the merely starved, anything that can be shoved down without killing oneself is acceptable. To the hedonistically imbibed, nothing lesser than the most delivering of drinks will ever suffice. Here then is a short collection of drinks that have rocked my taste boat over the years.
Nothing beats lavender as an aroma to invite the senses to a gastronomic gala. From vodka infusions to the judicious use of the flower itself, lavender is only limited by the bartenders’ imagination. Cucumber is another high to get by. The most famous cocktail on the Viennese circuit is the Pipeline which came across to me like buoyant little concoction with the lovely soothing freshness of cucumbers.
Molecular cocktails are also quite the rage and I’ll discuss them another time but the most impressive are the ones which reinterpret and revive the classics: like the roasted herb and grilled tomato Bloody Mary, just to give you an idea.
Fortified wines are universal pleasers and while Ports are preferred, dry Sherry is definitely more stylish. A good Fino would be from the house of Pedro Domecq. The wine is dry like a sheet in sun and with the hinted nuttiness of Beurre Noisette, French for browned butter with its lovely wafting aromas. Tawny ports abound but Quinto do Noval is what you want to look out for. Else, get white port, rare and unheard of, and mixes very well with soda.
Recently at a restaurant in Prague called Klub Architektu, in the scenic cellars of the architectural archives of the city, I was served a lovely wine from the Irsai Oliver grape and this has since become my new favourite aperitif wine. Else, Argentinean Torrontes from La Salta is a classic starter white; aromatic yet subtle, light and luscious.
Finally, the king of aperitifs remains Champagne and my pick would be either the Pol Roger Cuvée Winston Chruchill 1995 and earlier vintages. The others I feel safe with are Ruinart Rosé, Bollinger R.D., and Taittinger Comte de Champagne.
All said and done, the first sip matters; it sets the mood for things to come. For what it’s worth, toast it well.
