Aperol Spritz cocktail

Have you ever heard of Aperol? It’s actually not a spirit I’ve had many times before, but I had my first Aperol Spritz cocktail this summer, and since it graced my kitchen again this week I thought I’d share it with you.

If you’ve not had Aperol before, I’m going to do a pretty bad job of describing it to you, because it’s really hard to find the words. It’s sort of herby, sort of fruity, sort of bitter… basically it’s a whole new kind of drink, totally unlike anything I can think of. You just have to try it to understand!

Anyway, to make the beautifully vibrant Aperol Spritz cocktail you can see in the photos, you only need 5 ingredients (and two of them aren’t really ingredients…).

– Aperol (for heaps of flavour and that gorgeous orange colour)
– Prosecco (for a lovely bubbly drink)
– soda water (just enough to take the edge off!)
– fresh orange (because there’s nothing better than munching on an alcohol-soaked piece of fruit when you’ve finished a cocktail)
– ice (because no cocktail is compelte without it!)

I tend to eyeball my cocktails and don’t often measure things out (hence why they tend to get stronger and stronger throughout the night, whoops), but if you prefer to be a little more accurate, it’s a very easy formula. Just remember 3-2-1!

3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, and 1 part soda water

(plus however much ice and orange you like the sound of!)

The Aperol itself is only 11% alcohol (which is a little less strong than most wine, in case you’re not particularly well-versed in booze), so it doesn’t feel too naughty to mix it with Prosecco. I like to give the chunks of orange a little squeeze as well, to add a hint of sweetness to the cocktail. Overall though, it’s far from sickly sweet, so this is one for you if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

What’s your favourite cocktail to drink at this time of year? I’m always looking for new ways to warm up!

Print Recipe

Aperol Spritz cocktail

Prep Time5 mins

Total Time5 mins

Course: Drink

Servings: 1

Calories:

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• Ice cubes
• Fresh oranges (cut into chunks or slices)
• 3 parts Proseco
• 2 parts Aperol
• 1 part soda water

Instructions

• Place the ice cubes and chunks of fresh orange into some glasses, and pour over the remaining cocktail ingredients in the correct ratio. Serve immediately.

Love a good tipple? You should also try making a layered cocktail (or mocktail!):