NINO'S COLUMN

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Tell me if this has ever happened to you. You enjoyed a memorable, multi-course dinner at a fancy restaurant, with a group of business colleagues or friends. The waitperson suddenly appeared and asked you if you’d like an after-dinner drink. You became flustered and ordered a Miller Lite.

Epic fail, as my daughters would say.

When I came to the United States several decades ago, I quickly realized that Americans did not fully embrace the concept of the digestif. The typical progression at a restaurant like Caffe Abbracci was a Martini, scotch or a glass of Prosecco, followed by a bottle of wine with dinner and then back to whatever the person was drinking, before dinner.

This unimaginative style of drinking, deprives the diner, a true gastronomic experience.

In Europe, drinking is inextricably connected to eating. Each drink serves a distinct purpose, in relation to the meal itself. In our modern times of fast casual dining and more-hurried dining experiences, many have never experienced the magic of the perfect after-dinner drink or digestif. It’s like the final movement in a piece of classical music, rollicking, exciting, yet final.

The primary difference between an aperitif (pre-meal drink) and a digestif is that the former opens the palate and stimulates the appetite, and the latter closes the palate and aids in digestion.

Digestifs can be bitter, sweet or bittersweet. Most fall into one of the following categories: aged liquors, herbal or sweet liqueurs or fortified wines. Cultures around the globe, especially in Europe, each have their own favorite digestifs.

The French prefer rich brandies like Cognac, distilled in the western French town of the same name, or Armagnac a brandy which is distilled in Gascony in southwest France.

The Spanish prefer fortified wines like port, from Portugal, sherry, a dry wine made from Andalusian grapes, and sweet Madiera, produced on the Portuguese islands, of the same name, off the coast of Africa.

Germany’s preferred digestifs include Underberg, bitters made made from aromatic herbs from 43 countries and Jägermeister, the ubiquitous spirit in the the signature green bottle. No Jägerbombs, please. Act your age!

In my native land, Italy, we drink amaro, a bitter liqueur made from dozens of herbs from cinnamon to sage, grappa, a pomace brandy, limoncello, lemon-flavored liqueur from the coast of Amalfi (see my last column) and nocino, a delicious walnut liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region.

Of course Americans do love their after-dinner cocktails like Grasshoppers, White and Black Russians and Espresso Martinis, the latter of which, are popular at Caffe Abbracci. The European digestifs simply offer a more classic approach to the same end, putting a smiley face, at the conclusion of a great meal. I suggest that you match them to the cuisine of the restaurant in which you are dining, for the full experience.

So next time the waitperson offers you an after-dinner drink, don’t order a beer, or the same drink that you started the evening with. Try a classic digestif, and finish your meal with a touch of European flair.

SALUTE E ARRIVEDERCI

AD MOFONGO