Set Out the Water Before Dinner

By the time dinner is on the table, the host may have opened the wine, found another chair and gone back to the kitchen for a serving spoon. Water is one thing you can put in place before any of that happens.

Set a glass at each seat and fill a carafe while you’re setting the table. Leave it where two or three people can reach without leaning across a hot dish. At a long table, two small pitchers are easier to pass than one heavy one. If you’re eating outside or moving from the kitchen to the table, a tray with the glasses and the pitcher saves a trip.

Give guests a choice they can see

A carafe of still water is a good starting point. If you have sparkling water too, open it as people sit down and leave it in its bottle so guests can tell which is which. Carbonation changes the experience of a sip. In a laboratory study in mice, researchers found that dissolved carbon dioxide activates cells involved in detecting sour taste. At dinner, that extra bite is a matter of preference. Read the original study.

Keep ice or lemon on the side if you’re offering either. That leaves guests free to add as much as they like, and you can refill the pitcher without changing what’s in it. If you’re deciding whether to add ice to the pitcher itself, think about what melting ice adds to a drink.

Make the second pour easy

At a crowded table, give the pitcher a spot it can keep once the food arrives. A coaster near the end of the table works if the middle is full. Set a few extra glasses beside the pitcher when people are coming and going.

There’s no need to pour every glass ahead of time. Put the water out early, offer the first pour if you’re nearby, and let people help themselves while you finish getting dinner on the table.