European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 1, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Living today sneak preview Well conceived aperitifs make sociable act i by Sharon Hudgins special to stripes Magazine during most of my Ive had no interest whatsoever in drinks before when i arrived As a guest at someones and the Host or hostess offered to fix whatever youd like to i usually asked for iced at those pre prandial occasions where everyone else was imbibing martinis or marguerites or hard liquor i always managed to make some excuse for abstaining Only rarely did i even have a Beer or a Glass of wine before the likewise at i always ignored the selection of aperitifs listed on the menu and usually alienated the waiter when i refused to order a pred inner As i became More interested in and began to study menus 1 was appalled to discover that a cocktail or aperitif often costs As much As the first course of a in one Glass of Kir usually made from the cheapest table wine will add to your Bill As much or More a half liter carafe of the Bette Quality table and in Well i dont want to think about but Peoples tastes do including my after several years of travelling in Ive come to appreciate drinking an aperitif under certain and in particular in where dinner often Doest begin before 10 sipping an ouzo and munching on Mezes can be a very pleasant Way to while away the in where the evening meal is also a a Glass of dry Sherry and a Small plate of almonds can help stave off and in a Kir or Kir accompanied by a tiny slice of hot onion tart or seems almost de Rigueur before the the yugoslavs Start with the czechs serve the scandinavians have their and the russians Knock Back straight Italy produces a mind boggling variety of aperitifs most of the in my Humble not fit for human please dont write me any Nasty letters about this and please dont offer me a most lovers of Fine food would probably agree with me that a Glass of Good Champagne is the finest aperitif of the physiological function of an aperitif is to Start your gastric juices flowing and therby pique your appetite for the meal to at private dinner aperitifs help to keep the guests occupied until everyone has or until the food is ready to for aperitifs Are very High profit with secondary too relaxed or hungry customers Are More Likely to order Large meals with plenty of and less Likely to worry about prices on the my own approach to serving aperitifs at Home is 1 to match the aperitif with the foods and wines of the meal 2 to accompany the aperitif with appropriate titbits for the guests to nibble on and 3 to avoid serving More than one round of aperitifs and titbits before the its no fun for either the hosts or the guests to sit Down to a special dinner with stomachs already half full and senses numbed by before Spanish i offer red White or dry accompanied by two kinds of Spanish and tiny slices of Chorizo Spanish garlic paprika Creek dinners Are preceded by glasses of with bowls of and a variety of greek Many of my German meals commence with Beer if Beer is to be drunk throughout the dinner or the same German White wine that i plan to serve with the first another Good German aperitif is a wine spritzer also known As a made with wine and soda water mixed in equal Given my personal preferences regarding italian i merely serve a Good italian sometimes accompanied by tiny slices of Bruschetta tuscan garlic to whet my guests appetites for the italian food that russian food should of course be preceded by straight but in the interest of sobriety i prefer to serve red russian aperitifs if the meal is to be a French i usually choose among Kir or the White although i dearly love Champagne As an Ive noticed that it seems to make everyone while also reducing their inhibitions about drinking Large quantities of most people enjoy the less very popular French aperitifs Kir White wine mixed with Creme de Cassis Black currant liqueur or Kir Royale Champagne with Creme de Kir originated in where the classic recipe Calls for one part of Creme de Cassis mixed with four parts of Bourgogne Allgote although any White Burgundy wine can be and often Kir is made from whatever White wine the bartender wants to pour in its name honors Canon Felix the mayor of who was a Leader of the resistance during the German occupation of France in world War it was in Dijon that i drank my first Kir and i thought it was the worst thing id this Side of it reminded me of cough syrup sickly i  fathom Why it was such a popular that bad experience prevented me from even thinking about Kir for several until i decided somewhat irrationally to try one at a Sleazy Little bar in either my taste buds had or that bartender knew what he was Ive stripes Magazine August