I am a total beverage geek. When I found out there was a Lillet Rosé coming to the market, I over-excitedly texted half the contacts in my phone. People take one look at my home bar and ask if I’m running a small restaurant illegally out of my kitchen!
All this enthusiasm has allowed me to gather enough ‘market research’ to realize what is really missing in the average home bar. My new essentials list is not comprised of gins, bourbons, and pricey, well-packaged tequilas or vodkas. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Most home bars are missing aperitifs. Whether I’m hosting an Oscars party for 20, or having my sister over for Sunday night yoga-pants-on-the-couch gossip hour, I’ve found that vermouths, fortified wines, and bitter aperitifs are not only the most versatile mixers, they also are light enough to let you enjoy a few cocktails without overdoing it. One more thing: Each bottle costs less than $20! Here are three suggestions that can really up your home aperitif bar game:
Lillet Blanc | Some may recognize this French Semillon-based fortified wine as a vital ingredient in the iconic ‘James Bond Cocktail,’ aka The Vesper. It is fermented with a variety of herbs, citrus and spices, giving it a pleasant floral aroma with bright tangerine and honeyed notes.
Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambery | Dolin is the sole producer of vermouth from Savoie in the French Alps. In general, the blanc vermouth is slightly sweeter and rounder than its dry counterparts. It makes for a beautifully fragrant martini, but also can be enjoyed on the rocks with club soda and a twist of lemon or orange rind like a spritzer.
Aperol | Clocking in at only 11 percent alcohol, this aperitif is made with a genius selection of fruits and herbs such as rhubarb, orange and lavender. I would drink it in a box, with a fox, on a plane, on a train …
[try this with that]
I love the fruity effervescence with an herb-driven winter vegetable salad like this one:
aprés yoga
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
3 strawberries, sliced
5 oz. chilled Prosecco
» Shake the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
» Strain into a champagne flute and top with Prosecco.
brussels sprout salad
10-15 Brussels sprouts, shaved finely
½ c. Marcona almonds, chopped roughly
2 oz . Kerrygold Irish cheddar, crumbled
Half an avocado, sliced into cubes
4-5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
» Toss all ingredients until thoroughly combined.
[Jorie Taylor is a certified sommelier and the bar manager at Cielo at the Four Seasons Hotel.]