On September 24, as part of the Southbound Food Festival HOSTED series, Highlands Bar & Grill opened its doors for a rare aperitivo hour, bringing Marie Stitt and Edward Crouse of babas home to the bar where Marie grew up. She found the ritual while studying food culture in Northern Italy and built a life around it in Charleston. For one evening, she brought it home to her father Frank’s bar, alongside Pardis and Weston Stitt.
The night was one night only. The ritual doesn’t have to be.
Aperitivo isn’t a happy hour. It’s the hour that opens an evening rather than closes it out: a little bubbles, a few small bites, conversation that isn’t in a hurry. It asks for almost nothing in the way of fuss, and almost everything in the way of good ingredients. Below, a spread built for exactly that: one drink, three bites, and a set of instructions your evening self will thank your afternoon self for following.
Aperitif: Hugo Spritz with Elderflower & Mint
The classic spritz gets its low-ABV, bittersweet-adjacent lift here from St. Germain and a mint tea syrup instead of Aperol or Campari: floral, bright, and easy to make for a crowd.
1 SERVRING:
- Ice ½ ounce St. Germain
- ½ ounce mint simple syrup (see note)
- 4 ounces prosecco, chilled
- 1 ounce soda or sparkling water, chilled
- Garnish: lemon wheel and mint sprig
Fill a glass with ice, at least halfway. Add the St. Germain and mint simple syrup. Add the prosecco and soda water, and stir briefly and gently to combine. Garnish with a mint sprig and lemon wheel.
Make-ahead note:
The mint simple syrup can be made up to three weeks in advance and stored in the fridge, which means the only thing left to do the day of is pour. To make it: bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, remove from heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Steep one bag of mint tea in the hot syrup for 5 minutes, then remove and refrigerate. For a crowd, multiply the spritz ingredients and mix a large pitcher ahead of time, adding the soda water just before serving so it stays bright and bubbly.
Warm Nibble: Roasted Tomato & Burrata
Warm, jammy roasted tomatoes blended with burrata into a creamy, spreadable dip: equal parts rustic and elegant, and better the longer it sits.
SERVES 8:
- 1 pint cherry or small vine-ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 (4-ounce) balls burrata cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- Toasted French bread slices
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and add the sliced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, tossing to coat evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and soften.
Place the roasted tomatoes, burrata, and ½ cup basil in a food processor. Pulse until creamy and thoroughly combined, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Spread on warm toasted French bread slices. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Make-ahead note: This one prefers to be made ahead. Bake and blend the tomato-burrata mixture the night before, or at minimum give it several hours in the fridge, so the flavors have time to meld. Toast the bread just before your guests arrive.
Handheld Bite: Beef Carpaccio Crostini with Zesty Egg Topping
Paper-thin cured beef, a bright, briny egg topping, and a good olive oil. It’s elegant but simple enough to pull together in twenty minutes.
SERVES 6–8, crostini-style
- 2 hard-boiled large eggs, quartered
- ½ cup minced radishes (about 4)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced cornichons
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 6 ounces thinly sliced air-dried beef, such as bresaola (or substitute prosciutto)
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, as desired
- Baguette, sliced and toasted, for serving
Force the hard-boiled eggs through a garlic press into a medium bowl. Add the radishes, capers, cornichons, and chives. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, followed by 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
To assemble: layer a slice of bresaola over each toasted baguette round, top with a small handful of arugula, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and spoon the egg mixture over top. Finish with a microplane grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Make-ahead note: The egg topping can be mixed a few hours ahead and chilled. Assemble the crostini right before serving so the bread stays crisp and the beef stays fresh.
Fresh Skewer: Melon Caprese Picks
A three-melon, mozzarella, and herb skewer built for grazing: bright, no-cook, and endlessly easy to scale up or down.
SERVES 14 (as written); easily halved
- 14 cantaloupe balls
- 14 watermelon balls
- 14 honeydew balls
- 1 English cucumber, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) package mini mozzarella balls
- Fresh basil and mint leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Good-quality balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Decorative skewers or bamboo picks
Thread melon balls, a cucumber round, a tomato, a mozzarella ball, and a basil or mint leaf onto each skewer, in whatever order pleases you. Arrange on a platter and set out small bowls of olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper for dipping and finishing.
Make-ahead note: Thread the skewers up to 4 hours ahead and keep chilled, covered, until serving. Hold off on the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until just before guests arrive.
How to Put It All Together
None of these four require a stove going at the same time, which is really the point of aperitivo hour: a spread that looks like effort and requires very little of it in the moment. Batch the spritz ahead, roast and blend the tomato-burrata the night before, mix the egg topping a few hours out, and skewer the melon whenever you have a spare ten minutes in the afternoon. By the time your first guest arrives, the only thing left to do is pour, plate, and let the evening take its time.
