An effortless French cocktail party menu that’s guaranteed to make your guests proclaim c’est magnifique
France duringl’heure de l’apéritif很特别:包装咖啡馆,随着对话和金色的光线而亮。瓶子,玻璃杯以及小叮咬散落在桌子上。朋友,恋人和朋友可能会成为恋人聚会以庆祝当晚的开始。但是,这种早期的饮料和小吃的习惯并不一定意味着在镇上度过一个夜晚。实际上,法国的apéritif文化在家中可能同样神奇。
The key to throwing cocktail hour the French way is to keep the preparations simple and to put in the bulk of the effort long before the doorbell rings.
Start with the bar. Apéritif cocktails rely on the quality and complexity of the bottles themselves, not the bartender’s skill set. ForLa Pomme Rouge, two French classics—Calvados (French apple brandy) and Lillet Rouge (an apéritif wine)—are shaken over ice with lemon and topped with chilled sparkling wine. It’s an easy, nuanced cocktail that reads extra elegant if you have some vintage coupe glasses lying around. TheNot Not Martini是批处理的一堂课。提前几个小时(甚至前一天),抓住一个投手并组合基础。将其与一碗冰和装饰拼盘旁边放在酒吧上,在杜松子酒马提尼酒上急转弯,搅动不动。
Now, snacks. Apéritifs, from the Latin verb aperire, are meant “to open” the appetite, and in France, that means they are accompanied by a bite to share. It can be something small served on its own (don’t miss the肮脏的香草核桃or the腌制橄榄和萨拉米), or a combination of bites to form something larger and more sustaining to get you through the rest of the evening (Le Grand Ranchand theLardon-Fig Twiststurn it into more of a meal).The key, again, is to keep the selection simple and easy to eat while standing and juggling cocktail glasses and banter.
The final element of a French cocktail party is leaning into the inherent ease of the ritual itself. L’heure de l’apéritif is more than a simple drink and snack. It’s a gathering together, a small and contained daily celebration to mark the end of work and the start of play or a more amped-up celebration when the occasion calls for it—say, on New Year’s Eve. Break out the extra bottle of bubbly, and toast the guests you’ve welcomed into your home.