The bag is thrown in the hallway, the shoes are off and the fridge is open. It is exactly in this gap – between work and dinner – that a small glass can work wonders. Not as a ritual that requires planning, but as a little break you actually deserve. Back to school means new routines, full calendars and the classic paradox: you need rest more than ever, but have the least time to plan for it.
Luckily, you don't need a fully stocked home bar or advanced syrups in the fridge. It's about having one good bottle on hand, a glass with ice and a bit of citrus ready to go. That's all.
A good aperitif is not a project – it is a decision.— LARS LANSEN
Choose your anchor drink
The great secret of the aperitif is that it doesn't need to be complicated. It just needs to be something you actually feel like having – and that is available where you are right now. For the busy weekday I recommend choosing one type of drink you always have on hand, and that you know works.
Vermouth over ice is my favourite choice for this situation. The bottle keeps nicely in the fridge, the alcohol is low enough to enjoy without a food break, and the flavour – with its herbs, spices and slightly sweet undertones – immediately signals that the day is over and the evening has begun.
A bottle of Lustau Vermut Red is an excellent anchor point. It has the classic Spanish style: full-bodied and warm, with clear notes of orange peel, caramel and dry herbs. It is a vermouth that tastes as though someone has thought carefully through every single botanical element. Pour it straight over a glass with large ice cubes, add a slice of orange – and you are in aperitif mode in under a minute. No shaker. No technique. No excuses.
If you prefer something lighter and drier, Lustau Vermut White is a natural sibling choice. It is fresher, more citrus-driven and particularly well suited to these last warm August evenings when you want something that cools down both body and mind.
Three quick aperitif moments – no recipe needed
Here are three variations you can make in under five minutes, based on what you have at home:
Vermouth with ice and orange
Fill a wide glass with large ice cubes. Pour in 6–8 cl of vermouth. Add a slice of orange or squeeze over a little orange juice. Stir once. Done. Drink slowly while you start preparing dinner – and preferably with some good music in the background.
Citrus mocktail with mint and sparkling water
Squeeze the juice of one lime into a tall glass with ice. Top up with sparkling water. Add a few fresh mint sprigs – or dried mint, nothing is wrong here. A teaspoon of honey if you want sweetness. This one is quick, fresh and refreshing, perfect for those who don't want alcohol on a Tuesday.
If you want a ready-made solution for non-alcoholic aperitif moments, Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Sparkling Riesling can work wonders. It has a lively, tart fruitiness – green apple, peach, a hint of flowers – and the bubbles trick you into thinking you are drinking something genuinely festive. Because you actually are. No alcohol, but full aperitif atmosphere.
Dry sherry with olives
This is the most underrated everyday aperitif there is. A glass of Tio Pepe Fino over ice – yes, over ice, try it – and a small bowl of green olives on the side. The sherry is bone-dry, nutty and complex in a way that makes you feel quite sophisticated even in your sweatpants. It has a distinctive almond and bread-like depth that is completely unique among aperitifs, and the combination with salty, fatty olives is almost unbeatable.
Make it a habit, not a project
The biggest obstacle to the aperitif moment is not a lack of time – it is a lack of preparation. And by preparation I don't mean anything advanced. I mean this:
- Always have ice in the freezer. It sounds banal, but the ice cubes make all the difference. Large cubes melt more slowly and keep the glass cold without watering down the flavour.
- Have one open bottle in the fridge. Vermouth, sherry or a non-alcoholic alternative. Just one. Choose the one you know you like.
- Have citrus fruit on hand. Orange, lime or lemon. They cost next to nothing, keep for a long time and lift any drink with freshness and aroma.
- Have a glass you like. A wide whisky glass, a simple tumbler – it doesn't need to match anything else in the cupboard.
That is four things. Four things stand between you and a good aperitif on a Wednesday evening after a long day.
Pairing with the everyday dinner
An aperitif is not just something you drink alone while waiting for the pasta water to boil. It can also glide seamlessly into the meal itself. Vermouth pairs with everything from a simple pasta with tomato sauce to a quick vegetable and soy sauce stir-fry – the herbal and slightly bitter notes in the vermouth act as a bridge between aperitif and food.
The dry sherry loves cheese and salty snacks – perfect if you are having a tapas-style dinner one evening during the week. Try it with manchego, serrano ham or a good olive and nut mix. It is Spain on a plate, and it takes you five minutes to put together.
If you want to elevate things a little, put together a quick antipasto plate while the aperitif glass is in your hand: some cured meat, a few olives, a couple of quartered cherry tomatoes and a piece of good cheese. The whole thing takes five minutes. You have suddenly turned a Tuesday into something that feels like a Friday.
The simple truth
Back to school is not the enemy of good moments. It is actually the opposite – the more the everyday demands of you, the more important the small breaks become. A glass of vermouth over ice with a slice of orange is not a luxury. It is mental hygiene.
And the most beautiful thing about the aperitif moment is that it doesn't need to last long. Ten minutes. Maybe fifteen. Just enough time for your body to understand that the day is over and the evening belongs to you. No screen, no to-do list – just the glass, the ice melting slowly, and the wonderful feeling of having actually taken a moment for yourself.
It is not much. But it is enough.
