Aperol Spritz Recipe (3-2-1 Ratio)

Before you start

An Aperol spritz is a light, bittersweet aperitivo built straight in a wine glass: three parts dry prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water, poured over plenty of ice and finished with an orange slice. Aperol is lower in alcohol and gentler in bitterness than many Italian red bitters, which is why the drink is so easy to like in the afternoon.

Because the drink depends on bubbles, build order and temperature matter. Chill the prosecco and soda well, fill the glass completely with ice, and pour the sparkling wine first so the heavier Aperol mixes as it falls through. One brief stir is all it needs; more knocks out the fizz.

Ingredients

• 90 ml (3 oz) prosecco — brut or extra dry, well chilled
• 60 ml (2 oz) Aperol
• 30 ml (1 oz) soda water — chilled
• 1 large glassful ice cubes
• 1 orange half-wheel — garnish

Method

1. Fill a large wine glass to the brim with ice. A full glass melts more slowly than a half-filled one and keeps the spritz from going limp.
2. Pour the prosecco down the inside of the glass so it keeps its bubbles.
3. Add the Aperol. It is denser than the wine and will drift down, starting to mix on its own.
4. Top with the cold soda water, pouring it in last so its bubbles lift the Aperol through the glass.
5. Slide the bar spoon down the side of the glass and lift once or twice to combine. Do not stir in circles.
6. Tuck the orange half-wheel into the glass and serve immediately.

Tips for success

• Open a fresh bottle of prosecco for spritzes. Wine that lost its fizz overnight makes a flat, sweet drink that no amount of soda water fixes.
• The ratio is a starting point. If you find it too sweet, shift to 100 ml prosecco and 50 ml Aperol.
• For a crowd, keep all three liquids in an ice bucket and build each glass to order rather than mixing a pitcher.

Substitutions

Prosecco

Any dry sparkling wine works, such as cava or crémant. Champagne is drier and more yeasty; you may like a splash more Aperol with it.

Aperol

Campari makes a more bitter, deeper red Campari spritz. Other orange-red aperitivo bitters vary in sweetness, so taste and adjust the soda.

Soda water

Sparkling mineral water adds a slight mineral taste. Tonic water makes the drink sweeter and more bitter at the same time; use half the amount.

Variations

Spritz with a green olive

Add a large green olive on a pick alongside the orange slice for a salty contrast, a common Venetian touch.

Lower-alcohol spritz

Use 60 ml prosecco, 45 ml Aperol and 75 ml soda water for a longer, lighter drink.

Troubleshooting

The spritz is flat

The wine or soda was warm, or the drink was stirred too much. Chill everything, pour gently and lift once with the spoon.

It tastes too sweet

Use a brut prosecco rather than a sweeter dry style, and add another 15 ml of soda or prosecco.

The Aperol sits at the bottom

Pour the Aperol after the prosecco, not first, and give one gentle lift from the bottom with the bar spoon.

Storage

Serve immediately. Recork open prosecco with a sparkling wine stopper and refrigerate; it keeps some fizz for 1 to 2 days. Opened Aperol keeps at room temperature away from heat and light.

Safety notes

Contains about 90 ml of 11% prosecco and 60 ml of 11% Aperol, roughly 0.9 U.S. standard drinks. Serve only to adults of legal drinking age and never drink and drive.