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?

Well, Cocktail hour is that blessed pause, after work and before dinner, so that's when we have always had ours, at home, on holiday, or as we arrive for dinner out.

I would have a pre dinner cocktail & then drink water with the meal & then coffee.
But then 1 drink would only be if I was driving so before would make more sense.

Oh god. I drink cocktails with dinner all the time. I am early 20s though so it’s just the default option

Before. Then wine with dinner unless I had to drive

I'd have it before but I have a 7 month old baby and go to bed at 10pm so if I was having it after dinner I'd be necking it down then being tipsy for bath time.

In an almost ideal world where I had a whole evening/night to myself but could only have one alcoholic drink I think I'd have a nice dinner and then retire somewhere comfortable for a cocktail (lounge or appropriately fancy cocktail bar).

After the main, as dessert :)

Definitely before food. Then just water with dinner.

Assuming if I was eating out, with a group of people, and was driving (hence could only have one drink), I'd order the cocktail as early as possible, drink it slowly while we ordered and waited for the food to arrive, probably finishing it off during the starter. I'd then move to water for the rest of the meal. That way, apart from anything else, the alcohol would have a chance to dissipate before I started driving.

Before or after, definitely not with. I'd prefer beforehand as an aperitif.

Fruity or dry (gin, vodka) cocktails before a meal, creamy or heavy (whisky, dark rum) cocktails after a meal.

Wine or water WITH a meal.

Always before - cocktails are best on an empty stomach 😄