How to Get Back into Entertaining (with Help from Kate Leahy and Lillet)
The other night, I was invited to attend a virtual apéro (apéritif hour) to gather some up-to-date ideas on how to host a great apéritif hour. The event was hosted by chef and cookbook author Kate Leahy and Lillet Brand Ambassador Lauren Trickett. As a bonus, Champagne educator Elise Cordell was there as well.
What a great event! I picked up few new takeaways from this group:
• As Kate mentioned, hosting an apéritif hour is a great for us all to dip our toes back into entertaining mode. This is especially true for those of us who might be out of practice due to you-know-what.
• When it comes to the food, for heaven’s sake, keep it simple. A hunk of cheese, maybe a few slices of charcuterie, some crackers, and maybe one very simple thing you’ve made at home — like this great curried popcorn recipe Leahy shared. It’s from her new book, Wine Style: Discover the Wines You Will Love Through 50 Simple Recipes, and it took me all of 75 seconds to make.
Kate Leahy’s Curried Popcorn Recipe
• 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil.
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Melt the oil in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave. Mix in the seasonings. When cool enough to handle, pour over 4 to 5 ounces of popped popcorn. Toss to coat.
Photo by Kate Leahy. This recipe is pictured to the right of the Lillet bottle.
• In Kate’s brand new book, readers get to know wine a little better by enjoying them alongside 50 casual-but-stylish recipes. As Kate says in her intro, “This book is for … porch times, game nights, picnics, book clubs, hangout sessions, or any other excuse to get together with friends.”
“Today, most of the wines I seek out fall into the “charming and affordable” camp, the kind of wines that make people smile without taking over the conversation.””
I was sold on Kate’s approach to wine the minute I read the above quote, because it’s my approach to wine (and food) as well.
So, what’s to drink? This was a Lillet-sponsored event, so of course, when it came to drinks, Lillet was the focus. Made since 1872, Lillet is a French apéritif, made with 85% Bordeaux white wines and (about) 15% citrus liqueurs. It’s most commonly enjoyed on the rocks with a slice of orange; however, Lillet is also a great cocktail ingredient.
The Lillet Spritz
• 2.5 oz Lillet Blanc or Lillet Rosé
• 2.5 oz club soda
• Fresh orange slice
Combine ingredients over ice in wine glass.
The focus of the presentation was to keep the apéritif hour simple by choosing one great alcoholic ingredient (in this case, Lillet), as the anchor to a variety of cocktails for a variety of tastes. After all, you really don’t want to chase around making an Old Fashioned here and a French 75 there, opening up myriad bottles and squeezing up different kinds of citrus juices, right?
And yet, you can’t always make one cocktail that serves the tastes and needs of everyone at a gathering. Some guests may want a light-in-alcohol drink, while others want something a little, um, stiffer.
Make mine lighter, please. These days, I can’t tolerate high-proof drinks as much as I used to (actually, that’s a good thing—I drink less, but catch a fine lift all the same!). And so, the Lillet Spritz (recipe, above) is perfect for me. Lauren (aka The Lady Lillet) says that this drink weighs in at 6% alcohol-by-volume (ABV). That’s about my speed.
Lillet Champagne Spritz Recipe
2 ounces Lillet Blanc
2 ounces club soda
2 dashes orange bitters
2 ounces Mumm Champagne
Combine the Lillet and club soda over ice in wine glass. Stir in the bitters. Top with the Champagne.
Just Add … Champagne
For something a little heftier (alcohol-wise) and a bit more festive (in case your apéro hour is, in fact, a celebration — and why should it be?), add Champagne. See above for how to make a Lillet Champagne Spritz, which Lauren/Lady Lillet says weighs in at 17% ABV.
Strong, Stronger, Strongest: The Lillet Vesper Martini
And finally, for those who want a real kick in their cocktail, here’s the Lillet Vesper Martini. Just add gin and vodka. Stirred, not shaken.
The Lillet Vesper Martini
0.5 part Lillet Blanc
o 3 parts gin
o 1 part vodka
Stir over ice and strain into a martini glass. Serve with a lemon twist.
Words of Wisdom
Let me leave you with a few more tips and thoughts I gleaned from the Lillet Apéro:
““Put water on the apéritif table.””
I have absolutely no idea why I’ve never done this, nor why most hosts I know don’t do this. Sure, I always have water — sparkling and still — ready in the kitchen for anyone who requests it. But why make anyone ask? It disrupts the flow of the merriment. You have to get up and serve it to them. Instead, just put out a pitcher of water (or little bottles/cans of sparkling water) and let people serve themselves. So simple yet so … key.
““The word ‘apéritif’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘to open’ and refers to the way the drink opens up the appetite. It also keys into how the apéritif ritual opens up your home.””
Being a daily practitioner of the apéritif hour, I’ve long known the origin of of the word. But I love the way Lauren took this idea a little further, tying it into the sacred ritual of hosting.
Oh, and one more thing: How long can you store Lillet? Up to 2 weeks, in the refrigerator, but I generally don’t have a bottle around that long….
Enjoy!
Disclosure: The Lillet representatives were kind enough to send me an apéritif kit, including a couple bottles of Lillet and a bottle of Mumm Champagne, plus a few ingredients for making the popcorn and cocktails. I have not been compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.
