COUP DU MILIEU
A few years ago, the coup du millieu was introduced to Paris, having been popular for a considerable time in Bordeaux and other maritime towns. It is drunk immediately after the roast meat and consists of a small glass of a bitter liqueur or spirit, often both, which aids digestion. Normally an extract of Swiss absinthe is served, or failing that, Jamaican rum, or else simply very old Cognac. There are two ways of serving the coup du milieu: either the host pours it into small crystal glasses especially designed for this purpose and passes them to each guest, starting on his right; or else a young blonde girl, aged between 15 and 19, wearing no ornament on her head and with her arms bare to above the elbow, serves each guest. She holds a glass tray in her right hand and the bottle in her left and goes around the table serving each guest in succession. They must not take any liberties with this new kind of Hebe, who should be a virgin if possible (though 19-year-old virgins are extremely rare in Paris. However the coup du milieu is served, no pretext can be used to dispense with drinking it. Whether all the guests have arrived or not, five minutes before the meal is due to start, the host will appear in the drawing room (unless he is already there). After greeting the guests collectively or individually, the coup d'avant will be served (if this a custom of the house). It consists, as is well known, of a glass of vermouth. The host will then invite his guests to follow him in to the dining room.
Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière, Almanach des gourmands
