Classic, Easy and Perfect, the Italian Aperol Spritz

Aperol Spritz cocktails just scream summer in Italy, don’t they?  If you’re like me and staying put in the United States this summer, we have a few versions of aperol spritzes for you to enjoy at your next happy hour.

What is an Aperol Spritz

An aperol spritz is a refreshing bubbly cocktail with a bittersweet flavor.  Aperol is an Italian bitter aperitif which makes for the perfect pre-dinner drink, aperitivo hour, or happy hour on these hot summer nights.

When made correctly, this refreshing drink is the perfect balance between bitter and sweet.

The classic aperol spritz recipe is the easiest 3 ingredient Italian drink (4 if you include a Aperol slice of orange) you’ll ever make.  

And it’s simple to remember:  3-2-1:

• 3 parts prosecco
• 2 parts Aperol
• 1 part soda water
• 1 slice or orange

Easy Aperol Spritz Recipe

Yes, it’s 3 simple ingredients, but you knowI usually screw up the math when converting the parts to ounces, so here’s how we make ours:

• 3-4 oz Sparkling Wine or Dry Prosecco 
• 1 1/2 oz Aperol
• Splash of soda water or sparkling water
• Slice of orange or an orange wedge

To make this easy cocktail, you simply,

1. Fill your favorite champagne glass with ice cubes.
2. ​Add all of the ingredients.
3. Give the drink a genle stir.
4. Garnish with a slice of orange.  

TIP:  

• Chill your aperol and soda water in a cocktail shake filled with ice.  Stir that gently.  Pour it into your champagne glass and top with bubbly.  

The Perfect Aperol Spritz

If you were around last summer, you know in my opinion, the best way to make the most refreshing drink for summer is to use a boozy ice cube.  Not only does the drink develop and evolve over time, but your drink is never watered down.  

So, yes, I took this classic Italian cocktail and created a boozy ice cube version of it that you need to try.

To make the boozy ice cubes we used our big ice cube tray where each section is about 2 oz.  We poured about 1/2 oz of Aperol into each cube and then topped it with sparkling water (whish was about 1 oz, maybe a tad more).  Be careful though and odn’t fill these to the top.  The sparkling water does make the ice cube expand and you’ll have a frozen mess in the freeser.  

To make the perfect aperol sprtiz, you simply take the 3 ice cubes and put them into a big wine glass.  Then top with sparkling wine. You could add a splash of sparkling water if you’d like and garnish with an orange wedge.  

We tried the ice cube version side by side with the original drink and definitely enjoyed the ice cube version better.  The drink just got better and better as the ice cubes melted.  The flavors just kept evolving.

While it is quite the easy cocktail to make, we have been seeing pre-made versions at a few of our favorite stores.  So you know we had to give those a try and see how we liked them.  

Trader Joe’s vs Aldi Pre-Made Aperol Spritz

These popular cocktails have been turned into pre-made drinks are super convenient to bring to an outdoor celebration where you don’t want to play bartender all day long.  

They both nailed the bright orange color of the classic Italian cocktail and we did look at the ingredients and they do add a few different ingredients than the 3 simple ingredients above, but nonetheless, we were excited to see how close they came to nailing the .classic aperol spritz recipe

So the qustion, I am sure you’re asking: Which is the best aperol spritz from the two pre-made versions? 

We thought each of these was a good drink that had a lot less bitterness than either bubbly cocktail we made from scratch.  So if you are nervous of this bitter cocktail if you have never tried a cocktail on the bitter side,before, this is a good way to try it out and see what you think,

​Summer Spritz Recipes

We have been loving creating summer cocktails and jumped full force onto the spritz train.  For some other refreshing cocktails including my newest obsession, the limoncello spritz, check out the blog.  

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