THE HOUR OF THE APERITIF

The French have always, and with justice, been regarded as the world's gastronomic authorities. They have maintained that some mildly alcoholic beverage is required to set the gastric juices in motion, and they have developed a succession of delightful predinner concoctions that they call Aperitifs to perform this function. The Italians, in fact all Mediterranean peoples-and even Americans- have joined them in their pursuit. There are a number of Aperitifs that would make an admirable introduction to a thoughtfully planned dinner, but the choice depends on the kind of dinner you are proposing to give. If it is to be a buffet-style meal accompanied by a suitable table wine, then your guests should sit down to table with their appetites unimpaired and their gastric juices no more than set in motion. If you are going to serve good wines, then it is necessary to invite guests who will appreciate them and who can be trusted out of respect for the wines to arrive punctually, so that the period of waiting can be genuine, for which one cocktail, highball or Aperitif will be sufficient. It is quite another matter if the cocktail period is going to the meal itself-as it is nowadays in many houses.
The word Aperitif comes from the Latin Aperire, meaning to open, and indeed, a variety of fresh, slightly bitter drinks have traditionally been used to open both meals and appetites. More than mere cocktail-hour stimulants,however, wine aperitifs are also thought to be healthful because many contain small amounts of quinine, an ingredient originally added to protect French soldiers from Malaria. There are four aromatic wines that have been blended with bitter bark, brandy and Quinine (Dubonnet, Byrrh, St. Raphael and Lillet). Currently, the best selling French aperitif in the United States is Lillet, first created in 1887 when two French brothers white Bordeaux wine with a mixture of macerated fruit and small amount of quinine. Today, ten different fruits-eight of which are a well kept secret- along with sweet and bitter orange peel and quinine are cold-macerated in French brandy for four to six months before they are mixed with wine and aged. Two types of Lillet are made; non vintage, also called classic, and vintage, making it the only vintaged aperitif in the world.Vintage Lillet is aged in newer oak barrels than non vintage. Lillet Blanc, both vintage and non vintage, is produced from Bordeaux grown Sauvignon Blanc,Semillon and Muscadelle grapes. Lillet Rouge, whether vintage or non vintage, is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.