How to host the perfect festive aperitivo this holiday season
The best thing about the holiday season is gathering with the ones you love most and enjoying good food, delicious drinks, and making memories.
An aperitivo is a pre-meal drink specifically meant to whet your appetite but has evolved into a social ritual, often expanding into — and even replacing — dinner. This Italian tradition of enjoying drinks and light bites is a great way to make memories and spend quality time with loved ones without the heavy lifting of preparing a large meal over the holiday season.
While a big spread of festive food brings us together, the focal point of aperitivo is the drinks — a perfect centre point for this beloved Italian ritual is a bottle of MARTINI Asti.
A sweet, smooth, and elegant bottle of bubbly best enjoyed over ice, MARTINI Asti sparkling wine is made with 100% Moscato Bianco grapes grown in the ideal climate of Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), in Italy’s Piedmont region. The DOCG designation is the highest level of quality in Italian wine.
Each aspect of the production is carried out with care, starting with the grapes being harvested to preserve a delicate fragrance and going on to the connection between the land, people, and MARTINI. For the last 150 years, the beverage producer has worked closely with the same farming communities growing the finest Moscato Bianco grapes, indicating a long tradition behind each bottle.
To help get you started on this festive and fun tradition, here are a few helpful tips to throw your very own aperitivo this holiday season.
Secure the perfect serves
An aperitivo is all about pairing foods with refreshing sippers. And it’s the holidays, so ditch the dusty bottles in the back of your liquor cabinet and grab some high-quality ingredients to elevate your event and show how much you care.
Fill your bar with premium sparkling wine, like MARTINI Asti, a few essentials — like MARTINI Vermouths, Amaro, and some soda water. That way, you’ll be all set to serve any of the classic aperitivo cocktails.
While a spritz is a staple and relatively easy to throw together, the Negroni Sbagliato, or a “mistaken Negroni,” is another traditional aperitivo cocktail. The Negroni Sbagliato comes from the accidental swap of the gin in a Negroni for Prosecco, and it has surged in popularity due to House of the Dragon cast member Emma D’Arcy naming it as their drink of choice.
A delicious twist on the recipe that we think will take the mistaken Negroni to the next level is to use one part MARTINI Extra Dry Vermouth, one part Italian bitters, topped with MARTINI Asti, and garnish with a lemon slice. Swapping Prosecco for MARTINI Asti gives it a little extra sweetness. The fragrant Moscato grapes lend fresh notes of peach and wild sage which adds both a touch of sweetness and a layer of complexity.
While having cocktail options helps, having a crisp glass of MARTINI Asti on its own is the best way to enjoy this drink, and its simplicity means more time with friends than at the bar mixing.
Pair your appetizers well
The key to aperitivo bites is to keep them light and easy. The star of the show is really the drink you’re pairing it with, so be mindful that you’re not introducing flavours that will diminish the shine of the cocktails.
A charcuterie board made up of marinated olives, lightly salted chips, cured meats like salami, mild cheeses, and a combination of dried and fresh fruit is all you need to impress your guests.
If you want to go the extra mile, prepping mortadella rolls, wrapping melon balls in prosciutto, or baking some homemade focaccia will further enhance your aperitivo.
Creating the perfect setting
An aperitivo is best-enjoyed al fresco, which isn’t the most ideal when that “open air” they’re referring to is freezing cold.
If you have access to a heated enclosed patio, definitely jump on it. But it’s all about making sure your guests feel comfortable.
Creating an open space with plenty of seating options for people to chat and connect is the thing you should be focused on. It’s also important to have a centralized table for all the delicious appetizers.
Plan for more people
When it comes to the holidays, there are always a few forgetful family members who didn’t RSVP with their plus ones.
Take stock of your plates and glasses to make sure you have everything you need. And, while it might be chilly outside, having some extra ice on hand is always a must.
Make sure you have extra snacks ready to go, along with a few additional bottles of MARTINI Asti chilling in the fridge, in case you need it. If you don’t end up using the extras, that just means you’ll have more to enjoy or to gift throughout the rest of the holiday season.
Don’t stress out about it
The great thing about aperitivo is that it’s low-stress by nature and all about creating lasting memories with family and friends. The most important things are a good bottle of MARTINI Asti, some snacks, and the right people you’re excited to share your holidays with.
To secure yourself a bottle of MARTINI Asti for your holiday aperitivo, head to BCLIQUOR’s website and cross one thing off your to-do list.
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