“Kom drink ‘n teetjie!” This invitation for someone to join you for a cup of tea is at the heart of hospitality. It could just as well have been for coffee or a glass of wine, but offering someone something to drink, whether in your personal capacity, in business or in the hospitality sector, means much more than the actual drink itself.
I grew up with this invitation for tea but welcoming someone with something to drink is indeed a global custom aimed at making a guest feel welcome, to show friendship or to extend support. This invitation is about so much more than the type of drink or the actual act of drinking it and its meaning depends on the circumstances and intentions.
Offering a drink can show kindness and care. Much of the meaning lies in the ritual! It gives friends and family an opportunity to share and strangers the opportunity to settle in and relax. Bringing someone into your home and even your kitchen, making them part of the process of boiling water, setting the tray and choosing cups introduce a sense of familiarity and comfort. At the boardroom table, the ritual of ordering and receiving coffee or tea is so familiar that it can make the initial conversation easier, even if the situation is intimidating.
Other than a sign of hospitality, welcome and care, the choice of drink will also depend on culture and conditions.
In Italy, offering an espresso is a friendly gesture, regardless of whether you are catching up with a friend or concluding a business transaction. But a latte or americano can do the same job anywhere else in the world. In Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, there is a ceremony known as Buna where the coffee beans are roasted, ground and brewed in front of the guests, allowing them to experience and appreciate each step of the flavourful process.
As much as those of us who are passionate about what we drink value the process of making the coffee, opening and decanting the wine or mixing the cocktail, the welcome drink is about much more than the drink – it is a sign of community and cultural heritage, regardless of what the drink turns out to be.
In some cultures, the ritual has become a ceremony. The Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies are beautiful and graceful processes of brewing tea, but at the same time a token of respect, artistry, mindfulness and symbolism. In Turkey, tea is also a cherished part of culture and a very important symbol of hospitality. The Turkish “seven cups of tea” is a beautiful story about sharing a first cup as hospitality, a second cup to wash away a tiring journey, the third to help you forget your worries, the fourth to bring happiness, the fifth to refresh, the sixth for calm and the seventh as a sign of thanks and indicating that it is time to leave.
While such special ceremonies are not custom everywhere, offering something to drink, is. The drinks might be warm or refreshing, alcoholic or not, but the meaning behind them is generosity and hospitality. In India welcome drinks are often a Lassi, Masala Chai, Aam Panna or Thandai, in Russia it is Vodka and while in the days of the old Cape, the tradition was to have a pot of coffee or later Rooibos tea brewing on the stove to be ready when someone knocks on the door, I do believe, we are also quick when it comes to opening a bottle of wine – especially after a certain hour.
Refreshing options in summer and steaming cups in winter make sense, but tradition do not always comply. In the Middle East, hot beverages – coffee (generosity) or mint tea (friendship) are served despite the hot desert climate. In Spain, the welcome drinks are more climate conscious and refreshing – Sangria as well as wine coolers such as Rebujito and Tinto de Verano are popular. A glass of the local sparkling wine, called Cava is also a regular choice. The Italians follow suit with their own sparkling, Prosecco and the well-known aperitivo, Aperol Spritz. Some welcome drinks aim to refresh and others to warm up, some are to wet your appetite before a meal, but many are mainly a symbol of respect and care for your guest.
Welcome drinks also play an important part in commercial hospitality. Other than making guests feel welcome, these drinks have the ability to say something about the brand and they often make for a talking point if they are inspired by the property’s history, owners or even a local ingredient or seasonal theme. Most of us feel special when we receive a beautiful glass of Champagne on arrival, but imagine how special it is when you are welcomed with your favourite drink! That is a level of personalisation that will impress the most difficult of customers. Complimentary welcome drinks can make quite the impact on your budget, but they can be so worth the investment when measured in customer satisfaction.
Serving someone a beverage – at your home or in the hotel foyer – is a wonderful way to say a lot about who and what you are, without saying anything at all.