Aperol Spritz cocktail recipe

There’s no doubt about it: the Aperol Spritz is the darling of the cocktail world. Simply made with Aperol, prosecco and soda, this Spritz has taken the world by storm, thanks to those distinctive flavours, as well as it being oh-so photogenic. This is a drink that’s just made for the sunshine, having become an absolute go-to as soon as warmer weather strikes.

While the Aperol Spritz has seen a recent astronomic rise in popularity around the world, it’s also been an integral part of Italian culture for more than 50 years. Aperol was created in the early 1900s by Luigi and Silvo Barbieri, and the bitter red liqueur’s original recipe is still being used – and closely guarded – today. But it wasn’t until the 1950s that the Aperol Spritz became a mainstay in Italy as an alternative to a white-wine Spritz. 

Today, the Aperol Spritz remains the ideal aperitivo or pre-dinner drink, with enough bright, bittersweet flavour to stimulate the taste buds while also remaining fresh, fizzy and light.

The Spritz is an age-old drink that’s light, fresh and – most importantly – easy to make. So, what is a Spritz? Traditionally, a Spritz is made up of three parts – a bitter liqueur, sparkling wine (usually prosecco) and soda water. There are many possible ratios for the ideal Spritz, but like our recipe here, many follow the rule of three-parts prosecco, two-parts liqueur and one-part soda.    

The beauty of the Aperol Spritz, however, means it’s easy to tweak quantities to suit your taste. Feel free to add or subtract the alcoholic elements as you prefer, or add more or less soda to the mix. It’s a great idea to play around with your Spritz to see how you best like the quantities as it’s entirely up to you. Just remember that every increase in the liqueur or bubbles will hike up the total ABV of this drink.    

If you’re keen to explore other Spritzes, be sure to check out the Hugo Spritz, AKA the Elderflower Spritz, which swaps Aperol for an elderflower liqueur – a great move if you want something a touch sweeter. There is also the bright, zesty Limoncello Spritz, the Campari IPA Spritz and, for a zero%* pick, the Blood Orange Non-Alcoholic Spritz. And if you really want to go all out on the summer vibes, try our Frozen Aperol Spritz.