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Aperitivo
A dining experience begins well before the first dish is brought to the table. There is atmosphere to take in, company to engage with, and often a beverage to ignite your palate. Logan Griffin, Blackberry Mountain’s director of food and beverage, is an expert at pairing a sip with a moment. He carefully chooses what to enjoy before, during and after a meal, to not only complement the meal, but influence the full experience. That first sip sets the stage, and the palate, for what’s to come.
When I go to dinner, especially one that I’ve been anticipating, I’m often ready with a strategy in mind for how I want to set the tone of the meal. I usually start off with something bright and bitter – something that sparks my appetite and wakes up my senses. I gravitate toward bitter aperitivo cocktails, such as an Americano, Negroni Sbagliato or something as classic as Campari Soda.
There is something about the electric red color of these cocktails and their bittersweet personalities that gets me excited for the meal to come.
During a meal, I’m a wine purist and enjoy thoughtful and classic wine pairings. To bookend the experience, I drift back toward the bitter spectrum, but in the digestif arena. A standard practice in Italy is to drink Amaro that is brightly colored during the daytime and transition to the dark and opaque Amari at night. I love to finish the evening by following this tradition with a bracingly bitter but complex digestif such as Amaro Nonino or Amaro Sfumato. It forces you to sip the drink, ponder on the topic of discussion and aids in digestion.
Mix up one of these traditional favorites before your next meal, or take it to the next level. Interested in a Blackberry twist on a classic? Click here to get the recipe for Blackberry Mountain’s Barrel-Aged Negroni.
Americano
1 oz Carpano Antica Vermouth
1 oz Campari
Fever-Tree Soda Water
Combine ingredients in a Collins glass and top with soda water. Add ice. Garnish with lemon peel, expressed then inserted into the drink.
Negroni Sbagliato
1 oz. Carpano Antica Vermouth
1 oz. Campari
2 oz. Cava or Prosecco
Combine ingredients in a red wine glass. Add ice. Garnish with an orange peel, expressed then inserted into the drink.
Campari Soda
1.5 oz. Campari
Fever-Tree Soda Water
Measure the Campari into a Collins glass and top with soda water. Add ice. Garnish with an orange slice.