When would you have a cocktail with your meal?

[BlueReindeer]

Current debate about cocktail timing, if going for a meal with starter and main, probably no desert, and you were only going to have one alcoholic drink, would you order the one cocktail when you arrived/with starter/or have after the meal?

Probably afterwards. You can't drink a cocktail with a meal (imo) but an espresso martini would go down well afterwards.

I can drink a cocktail with a meal however I'd struggle to have just one!

drinking a cocktail with dinner feels like wearing socks when swimming, nothing weird would happen it just feels very odd

id either have a light / thirst quenching cocktail to start something lemon / gin / fizzy or something a bit richer instead of pudding like an espresso martini

fruity one before the meal or an espresso martini after.

Would depend what kind of meal and what sort of cocktail I wanted. I might order something like a champagne cocktail as an aperitif if having a fancy meal. If I'm at the local Mexican place maybe a margarita with my main. Some places if I didn't fancy any of the desserts I might plan to have an espresso martini instead.

I like a negroni or gin martini before dinner then water afterwards.

I wouldn't have one with a meal.

Before and after.
Water during the meal (not a wine drinker as it gives me headaches).

After. Instead of dessert or coffee.

We don't make them very often but when we do it's usually before supper, such as a vodka martini. With olives, and something very small. Damn, I fancy one now!

I get one after, instead of dessert

Agree with twoqueens, before and after, with water during the meal.
Tested this yesterday and can confirm that the results are excellent 😁

Cocktail before dinner with nibbles.

Then water with dinner if only one drink.

This!

Else not sure a Baileys type cocktail (my fave) goes with most mains /starters

Pina colada for dessert

Definitely no cocktail with food.

At the beginning for me but then I do like a pre dinner drink

An Aperitif before the meal (a martini, old fashioned, or similar).

A Digestif after the meal (something with coffee in, or a sweet one).

I'd usually have the former not thr latter.

I quite like something before the meal.

This.

I would have a glass of champagne or possibly a dry Martini before a meal.

A glass of wine with it.

A digestif (cognac, armagnac, or calvados) afterwards.

Cocktails aren't to go with food.

And yes, I know a dry Martini is strictly speaking a cocktail, but in my book it's very very cold gin with three olives, which has been shown a bottle of vermouth. So not really.

Definitely before for me.

Before, it's nice to have the cocktail while deciding what to order.

With the food. I know it's 'wrong' but I drink very little, and like to have it at the start and take a while over it. And feel a bit pissed during the meal rather than leaving it to the end!

If was only allowed one alcoholic drink and it was to be a cocktail I’d have it after the meal and linger over it.