One of Italy’s most popular aperitif cocktails, the Italian Aperol Spritz symbolises a lovely little ritual you can enjoy with friends and family at home.
The ritual of the aperitivo in Italy
The aperitivo lifestyle is all about slowing things down at the end of the day. It’s about spending quality time with little snacks, good friends, and a tasty cocktail. Naturally, that’s why you’ll see it quite a bit at restaurants with outdoor seating or a nice patio – even better if you can catch the sunset!
The Aperol Spritz is quite famous nowadays, not only in Italy as it has been for quite some time, but here in Portugal and in many places I’ve visited here in Europe. I don’t just mean bars that serve it, but even bars that specialise in just this cocktail! I’ve been to one in Vilnius, Lithuania, and in Portugal there are several beachside bars serving this brightly-coloured cocktail.
In Italy, I partook in the aperitivo lifestyle on several occasions. Milan in particular had a few aperitivo bars where you’d pay around €8 for an Aperol Spritz and that gave you all-you-can-eat access to various little pastries and tapas. Perfect for sundown and just before strolling off to have dinner.
Three simple ingredients for an authentic Italian Aperol Spritz
Here’s what you’ll need to make an Aperol Spritz at home:
- Aperol: since it’s the namesake of the cocktail, I’d really recommend buying the original. Lidl and several other supermarkets have much cheaper versions, and I don’t know if they’re any good. Tell me in the comments if you’ve made this cocktail with a cheaper version of Aperol.
- Prosecco: you don’t need to use an expensive prosecco. In fact, it’s probably better to use a cheaper bottle of dry prosecco since it’s the mixer – the Aperol is where all the flavour is. I used a €6 Italian DOC but I reckon it would still be good with an even cheaper bottle. Make sure it’s chilled before serving.
- Soda Water: use something fizzy and neutral. Schweppes does the job just fine, or even a shop-brand soda water. Restaurants will usually just use a soda gun. No need for a fancy soda water. Again, serve the soda water chilled.
- Ice: be generous with the ice. As a summer beverage meant to be consumed outdoors, a heap of ice keeps it colder for longer and reduces how much it dilutes.
- Garnish: in bars you’ll typically find it garnished with an orange slice, for obvious reasons. It complements the orange. You can skip this when making it at home, but it’s always a nice touch.
Definitely not shaken, not stirred (just a little, not a lot)
This is a cocktail you really don’t need to mix thoroughly. Do not shake and do not stir too much; just a gentle stir is all that’s needed to bring the three ingredients together. Stirring too much can reduce its fizziness, and you want to keep the drink fizzy
By layering it prosecco, then Aperol, then soda water, you ought to see for yourself how the ingredients mix on their own without much effort. Also, doing it this way a few times means you don’t need to measure out the proportions. You’ll eventually be able to do it by eye, as many bars do (that’s how I did it as a barman).
✅ Pro Tip: Aperol tends to be a little sweeter than most people might expect. Use a dry prosecco and regular soda water to make it a little less sweet, but try not to reduce the Aperol.
Italian Aperol Spritz
Description
The Italian Aperol Spritz is a simple aperitif cocktail using Aperol, prosecco, and soda water, all over ice and garnished with an orange slice. Make sure to use the correct ratio and avoid stirring too much and you'll get a bittersweet aperitivo perfect for snacks before dinner.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Generously fill a large wine glass with ice.
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Pour in the prosecco.
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Pour in the Aperol.
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Pour in the soda water.
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Stir and garnish with an orange slice.
Note
- Classic Ratio: Aperol insists that the correct ratio for their cocktail is a 3-2-1 (Prosecco, Aperol, soda water). It doesn't need to be exact and you can change it a little, but the flavour will be off if you don't go with that ratio.
- Stirring: this cocktail should never be shaken and should only be gently stirred, if at all. Too much stirring makes it less fizzy, and it's supposed to be fizzy.
- Pairings: an Aperol Spritz goes well with small snacks as an aperitif before dinner. Things like small savoury pastries, charcuterie, meatballs, olives, sardines, and other finger foods all go well with this cocktail.
