The Aperol Spritz is the Official Cocktail of Summertime Day Drinkers Everywhere. At least, that's what a scroll through Instagram or a stroll past an awning-covered outdoor cafe in July would have you think. As bright as the sun and as bittersweet as an orange, it attracts sunglasses-clad day drinkers like a bug zapper. (Aperol itself is technically a bitter Italian liqueur, but it is the sweetest among them, further sweetened by prosecco.) And sans any hard liquor, it has but a wafting breeze of ABV.
The glorious exercise of day-drinking need not be limited to public spaces. The beauty of a spritz is that it's just three main ingredients, and it's highly customizable for home bartending. Here, we call for a 2-3-2 ratio of Aperol, prosecco, and club soda, but it's not unheard of to go 2-3-1, or 1-1-1. Layer in orange slices or sparingly drape one over the rim of the glass. Hell, splash in some flavored La Croix.
A Little Background
Twenty-nineteen marked the summer of the great Aperol Spritz debacle. Oh, how it shook the drinking conscious. It began when The New York Times, the paper of record, said that the Aperol Spritz was "not a good drink" and in fact no better than a Capri Sun. Chaos ensued as angry spritzers rushed to defend their cocktail. We here at Esquire settled on the nuanced take that an Aperol Spritz is not the best Italian aperitif, but that spritz culture in general is in fact very good. Takes abound. But one thing we know is that it's hard to imagine a summer without the Aperol Spritz.
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Of bitter Italian cocktails that scream summer day-drinking, there are aplenty; the Aperol Spritz is just the sweetest. The go-to classic is the Negroni, and its mezcal offshoot, the Rosita. Both of those are stronger cocktails, courtesy of actual liquor. The Americano, however, is lighter—a Negroni without the gin, more or less. Even lighter is a simple Campari soda or Aperol soda, with liqueur, bubbly water, and a twist of citrus.
What You Need
Here’s what you need to do an Aperol Spritz justice, beyond what you might be able to dig out of the fridge or cupboard.
Photography and Prop styling by Heidi's Bridge
Food styling by Sean Dooley
