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Cocktail History
The Aperol Spritz is a classic cocktail that was created in the early 1920s after brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri first introduced Aperol at the Padua International Fair in Italy. It’s said that this light and refreshing mix of the bitter Italian liqueur, Prosecco, soda water, and citrus was made to highlight the Aperol’s flavor, and since then, the drink has become a favorite apéritif of mid-afternoon imbibers in Italy. It wasn’t until the 2000s that the Aperol Spritz made its way onto bar menus in other countries, however. Gruppo Campari, owners of the larger Italian liqueur Campari, purchased the Aperol brand in 2003 and have since heavily marketed the liqueur as the main ingredient in a spritz cocktail, which led to its worldwide popularity.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. This recipe specifically calls for Prosecco, a sparkling white wine made in Italy, so we used Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut because it has a crisp and refreshing flavor with notes of peach, apple, and honey. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine.
Aperol: This is an apéritif made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, cinchona, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Free Spirits Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo in place of the bitter liqueur.
Soda Water: This is a type of water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. We used Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water because it’s light, essentially flavorless, and refreshing.
Orange Slice: This is a slice of orange that has been cut into a half wheel shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Tasting Notes
The Aperol Spritz features dominant aromas of orange with a hint of Aperol’s herbal and bitter scent, and it has a taste that’s sweet initially from both the liqueur’s sugariness and the Prosecco but then follows both up with the slightly bitter backbone of the orangey amaro that lingers on the palate.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: In our opinion, the bubbles paired with the liqueur’s slight bitterness make this spritz a likely pleasure to any palate. This was the second one Kendall had ever tried, and while she thought it was noticeably less bitter than her first one years ago, she still didn’t quite find it worth craving. Alex, on the other hand, has wishful visions of sipping one of these while dining al fresco in a quiet Mediterranean village almost daily.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I’ve always been a fan of the Aperol Spritz as a drink but even more so what it represents: mid-day low-proof drinking to help you ride a slight buzz into the night without taking you overboard and putting you to sleep by 7:00pm. The Italians take everything in moderation, and that’s something I aspire to do too because I believe any non-workday spent relaxing on a patio or porch deserves just a slight buzz.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“Full disclosure, we made and photographed this classic for the first time last spring, but I ended up not loving the photo and kept moving it back on our calendar for that reason. I finally stuck it back into our rotation this spring so we could take another photo and so I could taste it again. Last year, I remember not liking this at all, but it’s nowhere close to as bitter as I remember it being. I still wouldn’t call it a favorite, but it’s a nice refreshing drink! I can see why it’s beloved for brunches and garden parties.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add sparkling wine, Aperol, soda water, and cubed ice to a highball or wine glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with orange slice.
Ingredients
Directions
Add sparkling wine, Aperol, soda water, and cubed ice to a highball or wine glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Garnish with orange slice.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine and Free Spirits Non-Alcoholic Aperitivo in place of the bitter liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Sparkling Wine Cocktails
If you like this sparkling wine-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Mountaintop Meadow: A vodka cocktail made with elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lavender bitters, dry sparkling wine, a pineapple wedge, and mint
Nucleus Mimosa: A sparkling wine cocktail made with orange juice, cranberry juice, and a lime slice
Pomegranate Gin Fizz: A gin cocktail made with grenadine, sparkling wine, pomegranate seeds, and a Demerara sugar cube
Minute To Midnight: A brandy cocktail made with pear liqueur, Angostura aromatic bitters, dry sparkling wine, and a lemon twist
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