Those who enjoy a pre-dinner bellini or French martini may have the right idea.
An aperitif is not just a civilised way to start a meal but may actually make the food taste better, a study has found.
People given a small measure of alcohol before their first course in a restaurant rated the soup they were served as more flavourful and fresher tasting than diners who did not have an aperitif.
University of Oxford’s Professor Charles Spence, senior author of the study and a psychologist studying people’s perceptions of food – who has worked with chef Heston Blumenthal – said alcohol may act as a palate cleanser, so that diners experience flavours more intensely.
Another explanation is that a pre-dinner drink may create a mood of relaxation which allows people to fully focus on their food.
The researchers asked 257 people eating in a restaurant if they would be willing to rate their food for a scientific experiment. Half were given an aperitif and half were not.
Rating how much they liked their soup, from zero to 100, people who did not have an aperitif gave it an average score of 68. But the score was 76, on average, for those who had a shot of plum brandy first.
Experts believe a similar effect would be achieved with most popular aperitifs.
A study suggests people given a small measure of alcohol before their first course in a restaurant rated the soup they were served as more flavourful and fresher tasting than diners who did not have an aperitif. Pictured: stock image
Professor Spence said: ‘An alcoholic drink before food may act as a physical palate cleanser, helping to remove any residual aftertastes from anything eaten previously, so we can more fully enjoy the flavours.
‘But taking an aperitif can also act as a mental palate cleanser, putting people in a better mood and helping them to feel more relaxed, so… they focus more on the qualities of the food.’
The study, published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, also asked people to rate the flavour and freshness of the tomato soup.
The flavour was given an average score of 79 out of 100 by people who had an aperitif – but only 72 by those who didn’t have the drink. Freshness was also rated 79 out of 100 by those who had the brandy, compared to 73 by those without.
The research team, led by Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Romania, whose study was conducted in a Romanian restaurant, found people reported their soup as tasting significantly sweeter if they had the alcoholic drink.
This may explain why people liked it more, the researchers suggest, noting that alcohol suppresses bitter tastes so sweetness may come through more strongly.
Professor Spence suggests that aperitifs may improve the taste of food for people in Britain because a drink before dinner is part of our culture, so we are likely to have ‘deep’ positive associations with it.
Dr Georgiana Juravle, lead author of the study from Alexandru Ioan Cuza
University, said: ‘Our findings highlight the usefulness of small quantities of alcohol served in controlled settings for augmenting the perceived profile of a dish.’
