When you were growing up, did your parents routinely have "before dinner drinks"?

My parents did not, although they sometimes had them when we went to a restaurant.
My wife's parents did this at just about every dinner.

This sometimes led to an awkward conflict of expectations at extended family gatherings.

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

helenS · 36-40, F

Before dinner, my parents had (and still have, I think) a "Sanbittèr", a soda which tastes very similar to Campari, with a bold bitter orange flavor and notes of grapefruit. A key distinction is that Sanbittèr contains no alcohol. The drink was originally called "Bitter Sanpellegrino" and was renamed at some point in time. Here are some beautiful ads:

I usually buy a pack of ten, it's a nice non-alcoholic alternative to a Garibaldi:

DrWatson · 70-79, M

@helenS I think I have seen some of those ads, but I never realized the beverage was non alcoholic!