Apéritif – just the word by itself sounds elegant and refined. We could all use a little elegance these days, so after discovering an entire book dedicated to this (nightly) ritual in a recent New York Times article (The 19 Best Cookbooks of Fall 2018), it was time to start expanding my pre-dinner horizons. 

The book recommended in the Times, Rebekah Peppler’s Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way, suggests pre-dinner cocktails according to the seasons. As it is Autumn here in New England, we’ve started to work our way through beginning with this delicious drink named “Adonis”.

À ta santé!

Adonis

• 1 1/2 oz. dry, light sherry (I used Fino)
• 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• orange peel

In a mixing glass or shaker filled with ice, combine the sherry, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Use a cocktail stirrer to stir for 15 seconds until the cocktail is very cold. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and pinch the orange peel to express the citrus oils. Discard the orange peel (or use it as a decoration, as I did).