Whether it’s a long, lazy dinner by the flicker of citronella candlelight or a post-work drink on the terrace, summer entertaining is in full swing. We’ve asked some of the most stylish hosts we know to share their party tricks. Pour yourself a Campari soda and get comfortable—it’s Aperitivo Hour.

You don’t have to be a big Francophile to know that Paris has been dealing with some serious heat lately. The city, mostly without air conditioning, is in the middle of a heatwave. Everyone is handling it differently—some through fashion, some by escaping. Others, like writer and Montmartre resident Rebekah Peppler, are celebrating the brief breaks in the heat with an apéro at home.

“Recently, we had a few friends over to celebrate the end of a particularly intense heatwave,” says Peppler, who has lived in Paris for over a decade. “My partner and I host regularly in our apartment, and it always brings me so much joy when a low-key apéro hour with friends turns into dinner, and then into late-night champagne on the balcony.”

Peppler—who runs the food and travel newsletter Shortlisted and has written two cookbooks, À Table and Le Sud—knows the art of French hosting well. Heatwave or not, she usually lets the morning’s market finds set the menu. For this evening’s gathering, she and her partner Laila Said kept it simple: a big platter of aïoli with baby potatoes, snap peas, and cucumbers for dipping; tinned fish with a squeeze of lemon; a plate of soft-boiled eggs; a crusty baguette; and slices of cheese. Everything is simple, fresh, and great for a crowd—and, importantly, nothing needs the oven.

Photo by Rebekah Peppler
Photo by Rebekah Peppler

Set the Scene
“My tabletop is a very heavy, lovely oval slab of marble I got from Leboncoin. I love it because it’s beautiful, and you can spill wine, wax, and tomato juice all over it without worrying. I rarely cover it with a linen (though if I did, it would be the nappe repas du bistrot tablecloth by Sarah Espeute).

I set the table earlier in the day, using Post-Its to note what goes on each serving dish. (This is a habit from my food styling days and makes hosting so much easier.) Then, depending on how many people I need to fit around the table, I choose either standard dinner plates or smaller ones, closer to salad or dessert size. If we’re packed in, the smaller plates keep everyone more comfortable, let me fit more food on the table, and encourage seconds, thirds, and fourths.”

Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Oeuvres Sensibles
Festive Dinner tablecloth
$3,145 ABASK

Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Astier de Villatte
Large oval Adélaïde platter
$332 ASTIER DE VILLATTE

Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Astier de Villatte
Rien large plates
$210 ABASK

Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Astier de Villatte
Medium simple soup plate
$70 ABC HOME

Photo by Rebekah Peppler
Photo by Rebekah Peppler

The Hosting Outfit
“In summer, when it’s hot and the balcony doors are open and the sun is streaming in, I usually wear something in white, beige, and tan. (As for spills, they’re part of life. I just keep some seltzer nearby and a good stain stick in the house if anyone needs it.) My go-to hosting outfit is something that feels chic but comfortable—often, pants I can move in, an oversized white button-up, and a red lip.

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake makes especially great pants for hosting. I probably own too many white button-ups at this point, but my current favorites are a three-way tie between Chava Studio, Sézane, and By Malene Birger. For jewelry, I keep it minimal; I always wear my Dua ring by the amazing Ina Beissner. When I want to dress something up a bit, I put on the pearl and black cord necklace.”The jacket I picked up in Amsterdam is from Rika Studios x By Marichelle. My lipstick is either Chanel’s Rouge Allure L’Extrait or Violette FR’s Bisou Balm.

Chava Studio
Ines oversized shirt – $550

Sézane
Max shirt – $125

By Malene Birger
Derris shirt – $300

Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
Monthly Colors March trousers – $495

Ina Beissner
Dua ring – $4,410

Rika Studios
Marichelle necklace – $574

Chanel
Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lipstick – $60

Violette_FR
Bisou Balm – $30

Photos by Rebekah Peppler

Tabletop Heroes
“I love mixing heights on the table, so I’ll bring out a cake stand or two and top them with gougères, eggs mayo, or a pile of seasonal fruit. For napkins, I usually use a beautiful cotton set that Laila and I picked up in Mexico City a few trips ago—these Dove and Donkey ones are similar. My cutlery is mostly vintage, sourced from flea markets in Paris and the South of France, with a few pieces from Sabre Paris and Catalunya-based Pallarès Solsona mixed in.”

Dove and Donkey
Hemstitch napkin set – $80

Sabre
Bistrot butter spreader – $19

Pallarès Solsona
4 stainless steel table/steak knives – $170

Sur La Table
Forged serving spoon – $20

Photos by Rebekah Peppler

What’s on the Menu
“For apéro, I start with olives and make the gougères from my book À Table—they’re always a hit. There are always fresh baguettes, a bowl of flaky salt, a jar of mustard, and good butter on the table. Since it’s summer and turning on the oven feels unnecessary, I’ve been making a grand aïoli and letting people build their perfect bites. Basically, it’s a big batch of fresh, garlicky aïoli surrounded by lots of vegetables (little potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, radishes, fennel, or whatever looks good at the market), some soft-boiled eggs, and depending on who’s coming, tins of fish, steamed mussels, or even a roast chicken from the neighborhood butcher. It’s easy to make or prep everything ahead. With a big green salad and some cheese, it’s the perfect meal for a hot summer night.
For dessert, I keep it simple with a few good chocolate bars—these are from my collaboration with Casa Bosques—a pile of seasonal fruit, and a bowl of crème cru.”

Rebecca Udall
Octagon ceramic dish – $80

Rebecca Udall
Eleanor crockery – $50

Photos by Rebekah Peppler

Drinks Station
“I don’t have a proper drink station—my apartment just isn’t big enough! Honestly, drinks at my dinner parties are usually simple: good bottles of wine in vintage ice buckets. For wine glasses, I love the collaboration between Ann Demeulemeester and Serax. Our water glasses are Tokyo Sadaki tumblers, and I love them—they’re incredibly hard to break.
I like to start and end the night with something bubbly; if Laila had her way, it would be bubbles all night. To deal with the heatwave, we turned our glasses of wine into piscines—wine with ice.”

Serax x Ann Demeulemeester
Grace glassware – $158

Toyo Sasaki Glass
HS stacking glasses – $36

Rothschild
French champagne ice bucket – $119Vintage ice cube bucket
$57 ETSY
Photo by Rebekah Peppler
Photo by Rebekah Peppler

All in the Details
“Once the sun gets low enough, I light a mix of taper and pillar candles. I really like Trudon for tapers. A close friend gave us a gruyère candle from Gohar World that sits on our living room fireplace mantel. I never actually burn it because I love looking at it too much.

For flowers, I usually pick up whatever is beautiful and in season on my way home and just put them in a vase. We don’t have a lot of space on the table because I’d rather fill it with food, plates, and people. I keep flowers on the side fireplace mantel and maybe tuck a few in a small vase in the bathroom.”

Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Etsy
Tulip candle holder set
$135 ETSY
Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Trudon
Madeleines candle
$42 TRUDON
Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Gohar
Gruyère candle
$48 GOHAR
Save to wishlist
Save to wishlist
Pottery Barn
Faux potted Japanese climbing fern
$59 POTTERY BARN

Dinner Party Dos & Don’ts

The Faux Pas…
“Not offering to bring something. Ask your host what they need—whether it’s ice, wine, a bag of chips, or a last-minute ingredient they forgot that you can pick up on the way. If they say nothing, bring something to drink, either wine or something nonalcoholic depending on the vibe, or flowers.”

The Party Playlist…
“Laila makes all the playlists in our house, and I’m forever grateful to her for that because they’re amazing and really set the mood for the party. This one is my current favorite for hosting—it starts with early evening aperitif energy and mellows out as the night goes on.”

The Guest List…
“It really depends on what the party is, but I always try to balance the energies, especially if there are people who don’t know each other beforehand. I don’t do seating charts for a lot of reasons. First, I personally hate it when they’re forced on me. Second, my table is small enough that everyone can see and talk to each other easily. That said, if I have someone over who I know has social anxiety, I invite them to sit next to me.”

The Stress-Reducing Secret…
“I make sure there’s enough wine chilling, and then I pour myself a glass as I get ready. I try to make sure that by the time people start arriving, I can meet them at the door and give each person a proper welcome. That immediately sets the tone for the night. We live in a walk-up, so especially in warm weather, after we say hello, I ask what they want to drink, send them straight out to the balcony to relax, and meet them there with whatever cold drink they asked for.”

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Aperitivo Hour A PostHeatwave Parisian Apéro With Rebekah Peppler written in a natural conversational tone

General What to Expect

Q What exactly is this event Is it a cooking class or a party
A Its a mix of both Think of it as a guided interactive tasting and conversation Rebekah Peppler will walk you through how to build a perfect loweffort FrenchItalian apéro to beat the heat while you sip and snack along with her

Q Who is Rebekah Peppler
A Shes a food writer and cookbook author Shes an expert on French and Italian drinking and snacking culture and shes known for making elegant entertaining feel totally doable

Q Do I need to be an expert cook to enjoy this
A Not at all This is specifically designed for people who want to entertain without stress The focus is on simple nocook or lowcook recipes and smart shopping If you can open a jar and slice a baguette youre good

Q How long is the event
A Typically around 6090 minutes including a live QA where you can ask Rebekah questions directly

Food Drink

Q What kind of drinks will be featured
A Expect lowalcohol refreshing options perfect for a hot day Think chilled vermouth crisp white wines and simple spritzes Rebekah will share her favorite bottles and how to serve them properly

Q Will there be actual recipes
A Yes Shell show you how to make a few easy biteslikely things like marinated olives a quick white bean dip radishes with good butter and salt or a simple tinned fish plate No complicated baking or stovetop cooking

Q Im not a drinker Will this still be fun