Aperol spritz sodavatten
30 cl aperol · 30 cl prosecco · 10 cl kolsyrat vatten eller mer prosecco · apelsin, 2 apelsinskivor · is. W hen the sun's shining and it's time to soak up some rays with a cocktail in hand, there are few drinks better suited to the occasion than a spritz. The modern form of the spritz was invented in Italy about a century ago, consisting of sparkling Prosecco wine mixed with a bitter digestif, topped with soda water.
These days, the most popular version of the cocktail is arguably the Aperol spritz, or possibly a simple white wine and soda. As an ex-professional cocktail bartender, I've made more than my fair share of Aperol spritzes. It's a modern classic for a reason; however, it barely touches the surface of what the drink can be. Over the years, I've played around with dozens of different recipes and ingredients to explore the cocktail's versatility.
I've substituted different wines and liqueurs and experimented with unique additions to tweak the cocktail's profile. Below are the most effective add-ins I've found throughout my experiences, and I guarantee you'll find something to boost your next spritz, whatever your taste may be. Although Aperol is probably the most common liqueur used in spritzes, it belongs to a large, diverse family of Italian digestifs.
If you love the bitter qualities of an Aperol spritz, this is a great place to start if you're looking for alternatives that'll give your cocktail a unique twist. Fernet-Branca is a digestif that belongs to a family of herbal liqueurs known as amari, and it's a superb ingredient if you want something with a complex and intense flavor. Although Fernet-Branca's recipe is a closely guarded secret, the liqueur is infused with 27 different herbs, spices, and roots from across the world.
The result is an ingredient that has powerful notes of eucalyptus, menthol, and anise which are superb for cutting through your spritz' sweeter elements. While you can rely solely on Fernet-Branca for the bitter component of your recipe, it may be a little overpowering.
Personally, I prefer to use a ratio of Aperol to Fernet, which results in a richer drink that retains the refreshing spirit of the original. While limoncello is also an Italian liqueur that's typically enjoyed as a digestif, its flavor profile is a far cry from its bitter cousins. Made from sugar, alcohol, and lemon peels, it's incredibly sweet and has all the bright and zesty citrus notes of fresh lemons without the acidity.
Bitter liqueurs aren't everyone's cup of tea, but that should never get in the way of being able to enjoy a refreshing spritz. If you prefer sweeter drinks, limoncello is the perfect liqueur for the job. While I do enjoy a more saccharine tipple from time to time, pairing limoncello with a sweeter style of Prosecco can be overkill and may taste slightly cloying.
In my experience, a sweet spritz works better with a drier wine, as the flavors will balance each other out. There are heaps of great Limoncello brands to choose from and it's typically pretty easy to get hold of a bottle. The good news is that even if you can't find any, Limoncello is incredibly easy to make at home , as long as you give yourself enough time for the ingredients to infuse properly.
While fortified wines have been around for centuries -- originally used as a medicinal drink -- we have Italy to thank for the modern iteration of the beverage. At the tail end of the 18th century, Italians began enjoying vermouths as an aperitif, and by the end of the 19th century, it began showing up in classic cocktails, like the Negroni and Manhattan. Aromatic and complex, vermouths come in a variety of styles , each with its own characteristics to contribute to a spritz.
They range from white to red and sweet to dry, meaning you've got plenty of options to choose from. However, picking the best vermouth for mixing drinks can take some experience due to the many different brands and styles.
Classic Aperol Spritz recipe: how to make Italy’s favorite aperitivo
If you want to create a richer-tasting spritz, sweet red vermouth will amplify both the sweet and bitter aspects of the drink. If you prefer a crisper spritz, a dry white vermouth is perfect and will complement floral and herbaceous elements. That said, you may want to use a sweeter base wine or add a dash of sugar syrup to help balance the flavor profile. Like vermouth, sherry is another style of fortified wine; however, the two are quite distinct.
Sherry comes from Spain, and while vermouth is flavored with aromatics, sherry is uninfused, giving it a more grape-forward flavor profile. Sherry comes in a huge range of styles, all of which have their place in cocktails, but I prefer fino sherry for a spritz. The driest of all sherries, fino is extraordinarily light and crisp, which helps keep your cocktail refreshing while still contributing a stunning depth of flavor.
It's a little herbaceous and slightly nutty, and it's aged under a layer of yeast which gives it a bready, doughy aspect. Plus, it has a noticeable salinity which reduces the perceived bitterness of bitter ingredients in the spritz. You can use it in place of your base wine but it's equally effective as an extra ingredient.
Aperol spritz
I've also found it works well in conjunction with sweet red vermouth, as the flavors balance well and create a stunning complexity without becoming muddy or overpowering. If you're after a spritz with a touch more depth and warmth -- something more suited for the colder months, perhaps -- you can't beat brandy. It's the name we give to any spirit that's distilled from fermented fruit juice, so the term brandy covers a remarkable range of styles.
Cognac is probably the most famous type of brandy. Despite coming from a single region of France, it boasts a dizzying array of flavor profiles, making it highly versatile. You've also got Cognac's earthier, more complex counterpart, Armagnac, and the apple-based Calvados -- and that's just France.