Aperol Spritz | A Classic North Italian Cocktail

Y’all. I have been wanting to share the recipe for an Aperol Spritz ever since I shared my first Campari cocktail recipe awhile back. I know some of you already have Aperol on hand and some of you prefer it to Campari. But alas, I have never bought a bottle of Aperol… yet. This is where my girl Rebecca comes in. The blogosphere is huge but she and I were able to connect in a Facebook group for female bloggers. She’s hardworking, genuine, and publishes a lot of gluten-free recipes (*insert hallelujah chorus*). She’s also from the UK, so that’s fun.

When I saw her Aperol Spritz recipe, I knew I had to have her write a guest post for Girl & Tonic. Rebecca and I actually did a recipe swap and you can find the post I wrote for her here. So, without further ado, here’s Rebecca.

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Hi, I’m Rebecca, The Free From Foodie, recipe creator of all things nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free and IBS friendly. I provide tasty recipes for anyone suffering with allergies and intolerances and believe no one should miss out on great food and drink!

I think making and drinking cocktails are fun and love that Corrie’s recipes are made up of only a few ingredients, making it easy to recreate great taste at home! It has been a pleasure to collaborate with her.

Today I am taking you through my Aperol Spritz recipe, a classic North Italian cocktail that I fell in love with last summer when I visited Rome and Lake Como.

Sipping an Aperol Spritz in your garden will transport you to an Italian summer! No one should miss out on this little gem of a drink and if you like prosecco, this one is for you. A simple mix of prosecco, Aperol and soda water creates the perfect summer cocktail.

Firstly, what is Aperol? It is a classic Italian bitter aperitif made up from the gentian flower, rhubarb plant, and bark from the cinchona tree. It is bright orange and looks like a sunset in a bottle.

Comparing Aperol to Campari, which is another Italian aperitif, we can see that Aperol is less alcoholic, the sweeter of the two and contains hints of bitter orange. Campari is significantly more bitter and is bright red in colour.

A spritz is the most common aperitive staple and is sometimes called the ‘unofficial cocktail of Milan’ for their creation of adding soda water to wine.

The recipe is made of a few simple ingredients – Aperol, prosecco and soda water. Try the proportions listed here, or adjust the ratio to taste. I’ve found that a smaller portion of Aperol helps to ensure you can enjoy more than one of these cocktails without falling on the floor!

This Aperol Spritz recipe would go great with my Italian Eggplant Parmigiana recipe or Quick Pizza Flatbread recipe for an Italian themed meal.

Eggplant: https://freefromfoodie.com/eggplant-parmigiana/

Pizza Flatbread: https://freefromfoodie.com/quick-pizza-flatbreads/

Ingredients for an Aperol Spritz

To make one, in the glass:

• Half a glass of Prosecco, I recommend Prosecco Brut, the driest type of prosecco, so you don’t end up with too sweet a drink
• 1 Shot of Aperol
• Soda water
• Handful of ice-cubes
• Orange slice to garnish

The Method for Making an Aperol Spritz

To start, grab a wine glass and pour out roughly half a glass of prosecco. Add in a shot of Aperol and then the ice-cubes. Top up the glass with soda water and garnish with a slice of orange.

To make multiple glasses of Aperol Spritz, just repeat the instructions in each glass.

Check out all my other recipes at https://freefromfoodie.com/.