Aperol Spritz
Prosecco, Aperol, soda. The official drink of the long Italian lunch.
Ingredients
- 3 oz Prosecco, well chilled
- 2 oz Aperol
- 1 oz soda water, well chilled
- Large ice cubes
- Orange slice, for garnish
Method
- Fill a large wine glass two-thirds with large ice cubes.
- Pour in the Prosecco first — adding it before the Aperol preserves the carbonation.
- Add the Aperol; the colors will stratify into the signature sunset gradient.
- Top with the soda water.
- Stir gently once, just enough to combine. Garnish with the orange slice.
Flavor
Bitter-sweet, light, low-ABV. Aperol carries the orange-rhubarb bitterness; Prosecco brings the lift; soda extends without watering down. Best before dinner, never after.
History
Aperol was created in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers in Padua. The 3-2-1 spritz formula was codified by the Campari Group in the 2000s as a deliberate global marketing push, and it worked: the drink is now the second-best-selling cocktail in the world by volume.
The 3-2-1 ratio is the standard. Some Italian bars push it to 3-2 with no soda; lighter drinkers go 4-2-1 with extra Prosecco. The point is the ratio is forgiving — what matters is well-chilled ingredients and large ice.
Pairs With
- Olives, taralli, breadsticks
- Prosciutto and melon
- Salty parmesan crisps
Photograph your liquor cabinet. Cabinet Cocktails identifies every bottle and tells you every cocktail you can craft right now — no missing ingredients, no fake fridge raids.
🍸 Scan My Cabinet