At a recent Italian sparking wine tasting, one of the esteemed panelists suggested that Americans ruined Prosecco by turning it into just an ingredient in cocktails like Bellinis. I bit my tongue hard on that one, as it wasn’t until I was in Venice, Italy, that I was introduced to the Aperol Spritz and the wonders of what this both sweet and bitter orange flavored liqueur could do when paired with any average sparking wine, club soda, and a slice of orange poured over ice in a wine or old-fashioned glass.
My husband Eddie, in Venice, Italy enjoying his Aperol Spritz
The Aperol bottle lists the exact recipe as the drink is famous. But it made me wonder, not about Prosecco but what other refreshing cocktails I could make with this $25 bottle of heavenly delight….
So, I took it a step further one night…and ran a few “tests”
Those with the handy * mark are Eve tested and tasted, any of my tasting notes are in italics below.
*APEROL SPRITZ
3 parts Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 splash of soda or seltz
Ice, half a slice of orange.
(Perfection! Make no changes!)
*APEROL ON THE ROCKS
1 part Aperol
3-4 ice cubes
A slice of orange.
(If you like the flavor of Aperol alone this works, if not squeeze the orange, and it works!)
*APEROL ORANGE
1 part Aperol
3 parts orange juice
ice cubes.
(I loved this one. The color, and the taste, was creamier than the spritz. I found it a bit on the sweet side so I squeezed a wedge of lime in it.)
APEROL CLASSICO
In a chilly glass:
1 part of chilly Aperol
a jet of sparkling water.
A piece of orange rind.
APEROL SHAKERATO
1 part of Aperol
in a shaker, some ice cubes, shake well.
*APEROL VODKA
2 parts Aperol
1 part vodka.
Lots of ice cubes, mix.
(For me, I would make it 2 parts vodka for a stronger cocktail. Will be making this again!)
Aperol information from the website (http://www.aperol.com/cocktails) :
The name says it all: Aperol is the perfect aperitif. Bright orange in color, it has a unique taste, thanks to the secret recipe, which has never been changed, with infusions of selected ingredients including bitter and sweet oranges and many other herbs and roots in perfect proportions. Aperol’s strength is in its low-alcohol content of only 11 percent.