Maybe it’s just me, but in my humble opinion there are some meals in life that are unfairly overlooked. I’m talking those pleasingly indulgent ones that you probably don’t need but are definitely going to nail anyway. The ones that’ve sort of fallen by the wayside in favour of the more practical, sensible breakfast lunch dinner routine – things like afternoon tea, midnight snacks (please can we bring those back?!), and aperetifs.
Now. As a chronic grazer, these inbetweeny-style meals are my saving grace. It’s sort of a sociably acceptable way to consistently eat from the moment I wake up til pass-out time. But they’re still suitable for less-grazer types, too – especially during the indulgence of Party Season (proof of this is captured in the super blurry photo below…..!)
With this in mind, I booked into the boy and I into Corinthia’s super swanky Massimo bar for an Aperitivo Hour last Friday (it was date night).
We set-up camp in one of the uber-booths (think regular booth but more exclusive-feeling) and perused the cocktail menu. I always do this, and to this day am really not sure why – I always end up opting for a margarita anyway… hashtag creature of habit.
The boy was feeling a little more adventurous, so went for an Aperol Spritz.
The whole idea of the Aperitivo Hour is to bring the Italian tradition of aperitif to London. So you can enjoy wine or cocktails with a selection of yummy canapé-type bits and pieces – things like ricotta & salmon on toast, mozzarella croquettes and bruschetta. We tried a little bit of everything, and gorged on a seemingly endless basket of Italian breads plus olive oil and balsamic for dipping.
When I was growing up, aperitif was something the adults did before dinner, and it usually consisted of a sneaky way to justify late-afternoon drinking, accompanied by a bowl of pretzels or similar. The Corinthia’s offering is – quite needless to say – infinitely more lavish (no offence, mum – you know I loved the pretzels too). But if you’ve never tried it yourself, think boozy afternoon tea with more booze and less carbs. The boy was very happy.
Outfit details
Jacket | Mango
Top | Eberjey
Bra | Eberjey
Jeans | Topshop
Book into Massimo here.
Olivia x
