How To Make An Aperol Spritz - You're Doing It Wrong All Wrong

When you need to escape a hot day with a cool cocktail, few things do the job better than an Aperol spritz. One of the most delicious Italian cocktails ever created, the Aperol spritz was first invented in the mid-1900s, but has seen a remarkable surge in popularity over the past decade. It's more in-demand than ever before, so if you don't have an Aperol spritz in your mixology repertoire, it's high time you learned to make one the right way. Chowhound recipe developer Kamaron Lockwood has some tips to get you started in this "You're Doing It All Wrong" video.

The most important thing to remember is to keep things simple. The Aperol spritz is a simple drink to make, and Lockwood thinks you should keep it that way, avoiding unnecessary reinventions. "There's a lot of variations that don't always translate, and I think people make it a little too complicated," Lockwood says. All you really need to make a great Aperol spritz are a few basic ingredients and a little bit of technique.

Lockwood's ideal Aperol spritz sticks to just four simple ingredients: Aperol, sparkling wine, club soda, and orange slices. Adding anything beyond that is a mistake, as it overcomplicates pushes your cocktail, making it more showy than substantial. 

The namesake ingredient, Aperol, is a bright orange-colored Italian aperitif. Lockwood explains, "An aperitif is a liqueur that is easy and helps settle the stomach. A lot of times people will enjoy these before or after a meal to complement the food." The makers of Aperol keep their recipe top secret, but the liquor is slightly bitter and carries notes of orange, rhubarb, and gentian root.

When it comes to the sparkling portion of an Aperol spritz, the customary choice is prosecco. "Any prosecco will do," says Lockwood. "You can change the variation to your liking, if you like something a little bit dryer or if you'd like something a little sweeter." Those who prefer a sweeter prosecco might favor it to offset the bitter notes in Aperol, but Lockwood notes that, "I personally tend to lean on the dryer side when it comes to my sparklings." Consequently, he actually swaps the prosecco for a French brut, a dry sparkling wine.

Assembling an Aperol spritz is easy because it is designed to be a "3-2-1 build" or three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, and a splash of club soda. For Lockwood's recipe, he uses 3 ounces of brut, and just shy of 2 full ounces of Aperol before adding the club soda. You can assemble this cocktail in either a wine glass or bubble glass, but whichever you choose, be sure to load it up bottom to top with ice before pouring to keep the drink chilled, and give it all a stir when you're finished pouring.

It is customary to garnish an Aperol spritz with a slice of orange. Some mixologists only add a twist of orange peel to the drink, mainly using it for aesthetics, but that's a wasteful mistake. Lockwood prefers to put some of the orange's flavor to work. "I always like to squeeze a little bit of the juices in there and tuck it down into the side of the glass," he notes. He also prefers to use two orange slices instead of just one, to get an extra punch of citrus flavor.

It all comes down to keeping things simple and sticking to that 3-2-1 formula — then enjoy your drink. The only real way to mess up an Aperol spritz is by overcomplicating it.