Dictionary.com describes it as: “an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.”
I say it’s SO MUCH MORE! It’s a lifestyle, it’s an opportunity to catch up with friends, to try a really interesting new recipe, to taste a new cocktail, to Savour something familiar and delicious, to claim some ‘me’ time, to just be happy! (I know that last one is a bit over the top…but it’s true if you’re doing it right!)
Rebekah Peppler in her book: Apéritif has several different denotations for the word. One of my favourites in her introduction is:
“…l’apéro is so much more than a simple apéritif and snack before dinner – it ushers in and properly celebrates the night’s beginning. Derived from the Latin verb aperire, it’s meant “to open” both the appetite and the evening… and if you’re doing it right, also the heart, the mind, and, possibly, the legs.”
I also decided that we should be friends…can you IMAGINE the stories she has to tell?!
With that being said; l’apéro is my favourite time of day. It’s that time when the sun begins to dip to the horizon and the city lights begin to twinkle– it’s a meal for the senses. The temperature drops a few degrees (ever so slightly in Jamaica),.. the stresses of the day start to float away sip by sip, the conversation gets more interesting and the laughs grow louder.
IMO; L’apéro is an inherently Jamaican experience (with a fancy new name). Picture a group of your friends huddled around a ludi board sharing drinks in between rolls of the dice or your family sitting comfortably around the living room with a corkscrew and bottle of wine in tow or the invaluable girls’ nights where the necessary and long overdue ‘catch up’ finally happens in between sips. We know it quite well.
My Apéro ‘recipes’ will make their way onto this blog on several occasions but to start, here is a blueprint of my staple apéritif platter to help get yours started:
Please note; these are meant to be as easy or as complicated as your mood can manage.
Cheese and Charcuterie board
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- Soft and Creamy cheese; (Camembert and Caprice de Dieux are my favourites)
- Blue cheese; (Cambozola and Morbier; again faves)
- Hard and Sharp cheese; (Comte, Black Bomber and Aged Gouda)
- Saucisson (Pure or flavoured with some kind of cheese)
- Other Assorted Cured Meats (side bar: Roast Meats has the *best* local cured meats: also available at The Butcher Block in Manor Park Plaza, Kingston 8)
- Grilled Sausages with a dipping sauce of sorts
- The vehicle: Crackers! (Miss Birdies crackers are a constant staple)
- Fruit (I love grapes because they are tart and sweet. But Otaheite apples, pineapple, granny smith apples are also great options)
- Dark Chocolate
I hope you Sip and Savour your very own Apéritif soon. Use all your senses and share the moments. You deserve it!
When you do; please share on Instagram and tag me @SavourExperience. A few (randomly chosen) Savourers may be surprised with a bottle of wine for accompaniment!
Cheers,
Shannon
