Perfect Aperol Spritz Recipe
After trying my first Aperol Spritz in Italy several years ago, I immediately started browsing Aperol Spritz recipes to recreate it at home. This light and bubbly cocktail, made with Prosecco, Aperol, and soda water, is often served as an apéritif and enjoyed before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
Aperol Spritzes are perfect for warm weather and summertime sipping. Enjoy one before dinner, or pair it with lighter dishes like antipasto, bruschetta, shrimp scampi, olives, slices of focaccia, and Caprese salad.
Key Ingredients
- Aperol: Look for Aperol next to liqueurs and bitters, like Amaro. Aperol is a vibrant reddish-orange liqueur that tastes citrusy, herbal, and bittersweet. If you love bolder, more bittersweet cocktails, try our Campari Spritz, which uses the same ratio, but swaps Aperol for Campari.
- Prosecco: Look for Prosecco next to sparkling wines. This Italian sparkling wine tastes light, crisp, and fruity. Look for Brut on the label, which means the Prosecco is not sweet. Avoid sweeter styles of Prosecco, like Prosecco Dolce, which will make your Aperol Spritz too sweet. I look for mid-range bottles of Prosecco (just as I do when buying sparkling wine for mimosas). Small-batch producers or bottles with labels mentioning DOC or DOCG are usually more tasty and enjoyable if you can find them. If you have a local wine shop, ask the staff for guidance and their suggestions.
- Soda water: Plain soda water works nicely. You can also use club soda with minerals and salt added (I prefer this for flavor) or your favorite sparkling water brand.
How to Make an Aperol Spritz
The classic Aperol Spritz ratio is 3-2-1which means you will need 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, and 1 part soda water. With this ratio, your cocktail is flavorful, not too bitter, and not too sweet.
Reduce the Aperol and increase the Prosecco for less bitterness. For lower alcohol content, reduce the Prosecco and Aperol a little and increase the soda water. If you love the bitterness, and want more, try making a Campari Spritz.
To make an Aperol Spritz, add your Aperol, Prosecco, and soda water to a wine glass filled with ice. I add the Aperol first, then the Prosecco, and finally, the soda water. Then, garnish with a fresh slice of orange. When making your Aperol Spritz, you can give the cocktail a gentle stir, but be careful not to overdo it so that you do not deflate the bubbles from the Prosecco.
Perfect Aperol Spritz
We love this classic Aperol Spritz cocktail recipe with Aperol, Prosecco, and soda water. We first tried these in Italy and have loved them ever since. An Aperol Spritz tastes mildly bitter, with an orange and herbal sweetness. It’s light, refreshing, effervescent (bubbly), and has lower alcohol content than other cocktails.
1 cocktail
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3 ounces (90ml) Prosecco, look for Brut (dry) Prosecco
2 ounces (60ml) Aperol
1 ounce (30ml) soda water, club soda, or sparkling water
Orange slices
Directions
1Fill a wine glass halfway with ice and add the Aperol. Slowly stream in the Prosecco and soda water. The cocktail should mix by itself as you pour in the Prosecco, but you can use a long spoon and gently swirl around the glass to combine.
2Slide in an orange slice and enjoy!
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Prosecco: We recommend mid-range Brut or extra Brut Prosecco. Sweeter styles will make the cocktail too sweet.
- Soda water: Use soda water, club soda, or your favorite sparkling water. I love club soda since it has a little salt added, which I think makes this cocktail taste even better.
- Adjusting to your tastes: Aperol tastes bittersweet. If you find the bitterness overwhelming, reduce the Aperol slightly and increase the Prosecco. For a less boozy cocktail, reduce the Prosecco and Aperol and increase the soda water.
- Campari spritz: Swap Aperol for Campari, which tastes less sweet and more bitter. Here’s our Campari Spritz.
- Grapefruit Aperol spritz: Use grapefruit sparkling water instead of plain soda water. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit.
- Blood Orange Aperol spritz: Use blood orange sparkling water instead of plain soda water. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.
- Cranberry Aperol spritz: Substitute one ounce of the Aperol in our classic recipe with 1 ounce (30ml) of cranberry juice.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 cocktail
/
Calories
231
/
Total Fat
0g
/
Saturated Fat
0g
/
Cholesterol
0mg
/
Sodium
10.7mg
/
Carbohydrate
17.8g
/
Dietary Fiber
0g
/
Total Sugars
16.8g
/
Protein
0.1g
We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us
