I have been exploring the joys of aperitifs.  I read an article about the European habit of a little snack with a  cocktail before the dive into preparing dinner and it really appealed to me.  I’ve been having fun creating the little snacks. 

One day, I boiled 3 eggs and deviled them. Another day, I used a spoonful of Chuck’s home-fermented sauerkraut with about an ounce of Cambozola cheese and 5 Kalamata olives for each of us.  Yesterday, it was 5 cherry tomatoes and a Babybel cheese each. I cut the tomatoes in half and the cheese into 5 pieces and drizzled the plate with balsamic vinegar and Tuscan herb flavored olive oil.  A baguette that Chuck picked up for part of my birthday celebration has been cut into pieces and frozen. So, I can pull out 4 pieces to thaw, along with a portion of smoked salmon. Cream cheese and capers live in my fridge. So, that’s an easy one.  Or just pickled cauliflower in a dish with a couple of cherry tomatoes alongside it.  Or hummus and crudites.  I think Chuck’s been getting a kick out of seeing what’s going to come out of the kitchen when I start stirring around at 4:00.

My grandmother set 4:30 as the cocktail hour and that has been my “it’s not too early” time forever. She did, once, say “It’s 4:30 somewhere in the world” when she wanted bourbon and Coke at 3:30. But, I generally reserve that attitude for vacations. And, for the record, in order for it to be 4:30, we would have been at sea.

Our summer cocktails are usually wine, gin and tonic, a gin rickey (if I’m feeling lazy), a lemon drop martini or a non-alcoholic shrub.  And I only make my own drink. Chuck gets to decide what he prefers in that instance for himself.

We discovered shrubs last year.  Chuck decided to give his liver a break about the time there was a little explosion of bartenders in better places creating interesting concoctions for designated drivers, (or anyone else who didn’t want to imbibe).  It’s usually a flavored syrup, vinegar and soda water.  We already had a SodaStream for the fizzy water and we have been keeping a small bottle of apple cider vinegar and a collection of flavored simple syrups in the fridge.  The syrups we keep around are homemade vanilla, lavender, ginger, mint and a couple of berry flavored syrups I found at IKEA.  A shot of syrup, a shot of vinegar, top it with fizzy water and we’re set.  More fun than just a glass of water with a twist of citrus.

I’ve been trying to decide on the word that describes how it feels for me to make a little taste of something lovely as a mark of the shift from day to evening. I think “gracious.”

gra·cious /ˈɡrāSHəs/ adjective:
1. courteous, kind, and pleasant.
Similar: courteous, polite, civil, civilized, indulgent, magnanimous, beneficent, benign, friendly, pleasant, amiable, affable, cordial, hospitable