A.A. Badenhorst, “Caperitif”

We roll out a lot of “firsts” on SommSelect because one of the few hard-and-fast rules in wine is to never wear blinders—there’s just too much excitement out there to limit yourself. Don’t think that applies to you? Today’s historically celebrated, sipper/mixer/however-you-take-it “Caperitif” is the ultimate litmus test.In the early 1900s, “Capertif” was the essential addition for many signature cocktails, but strife in South Africa soon wiped this mysterious, aromatically explosive gem off the face of the earth. Since nobody knew how to recreate it, “Capertif” soon became a deeply buried secret. For nearly 100 years, it was subsequently known as “the ghost ingredient.” Enter A.A. Badenhorst in South Africa’s Swartland, the mad scientists who recently resurrected this all-but-forgotten, botanically charged aperitif. Is it a wine? Technically, yes, but it would be a disservice to leave it at that. No wine has the ability to match the powerful, unendingly nuanced experience of today’s of