The Italian Cultural Institute successfully launched the first event in a three-part series exploring the place of alcohol as a complement to meals and social outings. Our kickoff event took place on November 19 at Silvio's Italian Restaurant. 

Bill Melillo, owner of Silvio's, was our first host. We're thankful for Brad Jeffries, who led a Q&A on the various types of digestivi and provided samples. In all, attendees sampled various digestivi, including tuaca, grappa, sambuca, white vermouth, red vermouth, and amaretto. 

Guests were treated to excellent conversation--not to mention tasty appetizers. ICI chose to break with tradition and feature the digestivo, a liqueur traditionally enjoyed a meal's conclusion, for this first outing. Stayed tuned for an announcement for the dates and times of parts one and two as we work 'backwards' through a meal.