Aperol Spritz Cocktail Recipe
Aperol, prosecco and soda — the bright orange face of Italian aperitivo culture.
- Category: New Era Drinks
- Glass: Wine glass
- ABV: 9%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Aperol60 ml (2 oz)
- Prosecco90 ml (3 oz)
- Soda water30 ml (1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a wine glass with ice.
- Add prosecco, then Aperol, then soda.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
Garnish
Orange slice
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone, it is carbonated, it drinks cool and easy and it is low in alcohol.
The technique
Built in the glass. Ice goes into the serving glass, the ingredients go on top, and you stir once if at all. Anything carbonated goes in LAST and never gets stirred; every turn of the spoon costs you bubbles. Fill the glass to the rim with ice: less ice melts faster, not slower.
Glass and ice
A stemmed wine glass. The big bowl leaves room for ice and fruit, and gives the aroma somewhere to gather.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Aperol
- The orange aperitif, flavoured with bitter orange and rhubarb. It is Campari's gentler cousin: 11% alcohol, sweeter, far less bitter. Substituting Campari means adding sugar.
- Prosecco
- Italian sparkling wine, fruitier and less yeasty than champagne. It is what a spritz means by sparkling wine, and it has to be opened ice-cold.
- Soda water
- Plain carbonated water. It goes in LAST and nothing is stirred after it. An open bottle goes flat fast, so small bottles make more sense than big ones.
The Story
Rooted in the Veneto 'spritz' tradition; Aperol's version exploded globally in the 2010s.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Aperol Spritz mixed?
- It is built in the glass and served in a wine glass.
- How strong is a Aperol Spritz?
- Roughly 9% ABV as served — lighter than a beer — a long-conversation drink that takes a second round.
- Can a Aperol Spritz be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Aperol Spritz hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.