To make this aperol spritz recipe, simply fill a wine glass with ice (almost to the top of the glass). Pour in 1 ½ ounces fresh orange juice (if using), and equal parts Aperol and dry prosecco (about 3 ounces each). Aperol, vodka and cider. "I love this combination," says Alessandro Mannello, mixologist for Le Bab. "I then add some agave syrup, lemon juice, three dashes of orange bitters then some orange peel." It seems that aperitivo (Italy's cherished pre-dinner drink) has become the new happy hour. And yet, the current popularity of Aperol Spritz leaves us Venetians slightly perplexed. How did a drink that, until 20 years ago could only be found in our region's humble osteria (tavern) and cheap local bars, conquer the world? Aperol was created by the Barbieri brothers and launched in 1919 at the Padua International Fair, soon becoming one of Italy's favorite liqueurs, now taking the world by storm. The original recipe has remain unchanged since 1919. Compared to Aperol, the liqueur smelled slightly strange - almost chemically. It was also noticeably paler in the glass.

We love Aperol so much that we've even added it into our dessert recipes like our Aperol spritz trifle, Aperol upside down cake, Aperol spritz lollies and we've even added Aperol to these mince pies! And to celebrate its 100th birthday four years ago, Aperol officially made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, Aperol is defined as: "A proprietary name for: an orange-coloured Italian aperitif flavoured with gentian, rhubarb, and a variety of herbs and roots." A taste for compromise seems to be taking over Padova too. My childhood friend Laura, who also dislikes the sweetness and "excessive ice" of the Aperol Spritz, prefers to mix Campari and Aperol together. Laura's partner Simone drinks it with half Campari and half Cynar. Yet, some Italians forgo the whole spritz and bitter liqueur tradition all together. In the small town of Schio, 35km north-east of Vicenza, they still drink spritz like the Austrians – with only wine and seltzer. And a few elegant organic wineries in Venice have now declared with a veiled pride that they are not the kind of place that serves spritzes, as "real connoisseurs" would never splash water in their wine. It's a hymn to slowness," said Cozzella. "The desire to prolong the moment before the dinner. It's an excuse to drink, nibble and stay together a little longer before going home."I suppose it's complicated, like everything involving fine taste in Italy seems to be. However, 85% of Italians agree on one thing: they can't give up the habit of aperitivo at least once a month. Since Aperol truly comes alive when combined with bubbles, the most seamless way to experiment with Aperol is to riff on that Spritz, says Grant Gedemer, the director of food and beverage at The Godfrey Hotel in Chicago who uses sparkling rosé instead of prosecco and adds fresh seasonal fruit. “You can also add it to a Gin & Tonic,” he says. “The dryness adds a nice complement to the citrus, and the effervescence brings out its flavor too.” For some fizzy dilution. Any unflavored sparkling water will work. I keep cans of sparkling water in my pantry for this purpose. 4) Slice of fresh orange It came second in our taste test. There was a really rich caramel and orange flavour. When you shut your eyes and smelt it, you could imagine it warm at Christmas time quite easily. The mixture came out fizzing and was the palest of the bunch. When it came to the taste test, it was hard to compare, as the Bitterol tasted completely different to the homemade spritzes. It was way too sweet for my liking, like a rose wine. There was still a tangy undertone but it wasn't as bitter as the others. Sadly, it just didn't compare. Which one was best?

As written, your Aperol spritz is around 11 percent alcohol content by volume (Aperol is 11% ABV and Prosecco is 12%). To make it even lower in alcohol content, use proportionally more club soda and less Aperol and Prosecco. It's also the Marmite of the alcohol world. Poll your friends and it's pretty much guaranteed half of them will say it's their absolute favourite beer garden beverage, while the rest will pull a face and say it tastes like cough medicine. Like most of the own brands we found, Aperol has a strength of 11%. It was the recognisable apéritif I'd tasted many times before - reddish-orange in colour and bitter, sweet and fruity in taste. It had an almost coppery flavour, but enjoyed in my sunny garden, it was undeniably refreshing. It tasted like summer and, in all honesty, I was doubtful any of the others would compare. Asda Apertini You can skip this if you don’t have it, but an orange slice is the classic garnish for an Aperol spritz.The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are misdirected, lost, delayed, damaged or corrupted during delivery to or from the Promoter due to any computer malfunction, virus, bug, delay or other reason whatsoever.

A couple of my testers said they could have happily had this as an evening drink rather than in the sun as it had such a rich flavour. Plenty going on and a bargain price. Valid Bottles: The promotion is valid for promotional 70cl Aperol Spritz bottles featuring the offer "FREE GLASS GIVEAWAY – FIRST 5000 TO CLAIM”.

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The generally accepted ratio is equal parts Aperol and Prosecco plus a splash of club soda. However, you can play around with the ratio until your Aperol spritz tastes exactly the way you like it. I like mine with a little more Prosecco than Aperol. Make it less bitter Aperol Spritz is best served with ice, in a large wine glass, garnished with a slice of orange, in good company.

Classic Aperol Spritz

Want to know how to make an Aperol Spritz? You're in the right place, as here we show you how to recreate the traditional Aperol Spritz recipe at home with our easy-to-follow guide and video tutorial. To match the vibrant hue and zesty flavour of Aperol, oranges are the only acceptable garnish here. Simply drop an orange wedge into the glass to infuse all of the flavours. Originating from Italy in 1919, Aperol is an aperitif commonly enjoyed before a meal and particularly when the weather is warm, enjoyed as a spritz. The name Aperol comes from the word origin apero which is a French slang word for aperitif. Aperol – now by far the most popular spritz liqueur around the world – was invented in the nearby city of Padova in 1919 by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri after seven years of experiments, macerating sour orange peels, gentian root, rhubarb and spices in their father's distillery. It was first advertised in the 1920s to drinkers who wanted to stay fit because of its low alcohol level (11%), and to women in the 1930s with the slogan, " Signora! Aperol keeps you thin". By the '80s, it was dirt-cheap and appreciated by regulars at every local bar in the Veneto region, creating a sort of spritz archipelago in the Po Valley, where the cities of Padova, Venice, Treviso and Vicenza would carry on the tradition, each with their own slightly different recipe. It’s just a splash, but don’t be tempted to skimp on the soda in your Aperol Spritz as it works wonders for the finished drink.“By adding soda water, we replace the carbonation that gets lost whilst pouring Prosecco and stirring the drink.