Frequently, after spending hours in the kitchen cooking and tasting dinner, I find I have close to no appetite left (especially in the summer heat—phew!). But after putting in the time, it’s kind of a bummer to let the heat and palate fatigue get in the way of actually enjoying dinner. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to get that worked-up appetite going again.
Make a drink. Specifically, make an Americano.
Not to be confused with the coffee drink with the same name (which is an equally buzz-inducing combo of espresso and hot water), the Americano cocktail is a bright red pre-dinner drink: a simple ratio of one part Campari to one part sweet vermouth, topped off with an equal part of soda water.
In Italy, having a pre-dinner drink to whet the appetite is so much of a thing, it has its own name: aperitivo. An aperitivo is the sippable hook to get you back into the eating mindset after a day of work, and more often than not, this happy hour stars the Americano. The combination of red aperitif liqueurs and club soda is like a low-alcoholnegroni: a little bit sweet, a little bit bitter, and very refreshing. It cleanses your palate, cools you off, and whets your appetite. So it’s pretty much the perfect drink to have right now.
To change the flavor dimensions of the drink, experiment with different aperitif liqueurs. Want less bitterness? Use lighter, sweeter Cappelletti in place of the Campari, or switch the Campari for Aperol for more of a cherry flavor. And heck, if you really want something different,switch out the club soda for beer.
So get those bottles opened—and don't forget the ice. It’s Americano o'clock somewhere.
