The Aperitif Guy

I wonder if you’ve ever been to a show, a musical or opera, or a big MGM-style song-and-dance film. People gather and chat, take their seats and generally get in the mood. Then, the lights go down, and people’s focus shifts. There’s excitement, but the curtain doesn’t rise immediately: the show isn’t starting just yet. First, the band plays an overture. It’s a little foretaste, little snippets of tunes and themes that you can expect to hear, to pique your interest in what’s to come. It heightens your sense of expectation and gets you ready to lose yourself completely in La-La Land, Miss Saigon or La Traviata. What you’re getting is the musical equivalent of an aperitif. Photo: G Mather When I’m planning a dinner party, I want my guests to have that same sense of expectation and excitement before I serve the starter. European cultures have long relied on the aperitif for this, and it’s become a social occasion in its own right. So much so, that in Spain, France and Ital