Aperol Spritz

🇮🇹 The story of Padua 1919 by the Barbieri brothers

Aperol was created in 1919 in Padua, in Veneto, by the Barbieri brothers who sought to develop a light, bitter-sweet aperitif. The spritz itself dates back to the early 19th century, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire occupied Veneto. Austrian soldiers, unaccustomed to the high-alcohol Italian wines, asked bar keepers to cut their wine with a splash of sparkling water. It’s this German verb “spritzen” (“to spray”) that gave the cocktail its name. The modern recipe with prosecco became popular in the 1970s, and the cocktail became a world reference in the early 2000s.

📐 The IBA 3-2-1 ratio is sacred

The official IBA rule comes down to three easy-to-remember numbers: 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part club soda. For 1 cocktail, that gives you 3 oz of prosecco, 2 oz of Aperol and 1 oz of club soda. It’s this ratio that gives the perfect balance between the bubbles, the sweet bitterness of Aperol and the freshness of sparkling water. More Aperol and it becomes too sweet-bitter. More prosecco and it becomes just sparkling wine. Stay faithful to the 3-2-1, it’s been proven for over 100 years.

🍾 Pour the prosecco FIRST (the pro move)

It’s the trick that most people don’t know. The pouring order really matters for the final quality. You pour the very cold prosecco over the ice FIRST, then add the Aperol, then the club soda. Why: if you pour the Aperol first, the dense red-orange liquid forms a layer at the bottom of the glass that requires a lot of mixing to integrate, and all that mixing makes the prosecco lose its fizz. With the reverse order, everything mixes naturally and you preserve the bubbles.

🍊 The authentic Italian half orange slice

The classic mistake of bars making spritzers the North American way is putting a whole orange slice that’s too thick. The authentic Italian presentation uses a half-slice of thin orange placed directly in the glass. It’s more elegant, it releases the essential oils from the peel into the cocktail without overflowing visually, and it’s easier to drink. Choose a juicy orange and make a slice 5 mm thick at most, then cut it in half.

🧊 White wine glass filled generously with ice (not a tulip glass)

Aperol Spritz is served in a large white wine glass filled generously with ice cubes. It’s the official glass codified by the IBA. Not a tulip glass like a piña colada, not a highball glass like a mojito. The wide white wine glass allows bubbles to rise, lets the orange deploy in the drink and allows the aromatic profile to diffuse well to the nose. Generous ice cubes to keep the cocktail nice and cold throughout service.

🚫 ALCOHOL-FREE variant with alcohol-free Aperol

It’s the big news of recent years. There’s now a version of alcohol-free Aperol that you can find at the SAQ, in specialty cocktail shops and increasingly in large grocery stores. For the alcohol-free version: replace the 3 oz of prosecco with 3 oz of alcohol-free prosecco or alcohol-free sparkling wine, and the 2 oz of Aperol with 2 oz of alcohol-free Aperol. Keep the 1 oz of club soda. Everyone gets their drink, everyone is happy. It’s the perfect cocktail for pregnant women, designated drivers and sober guests.

🍹 BATCH variant to serve 6 people

To serve 6 people at once, simply multiply the quantities by 6. In a large well-chilled pitcher, pour 18 oz of prosecco, 12 oz of Aperol and 6 oz of club soda (in THAT order to preserve the bubbles). Stir very gently just once. Serve immediately in 6 white wine glasses filled with ice and garnish each glass with half an orange slice. Perfect for summer aperitifs with friends on the terrace.

✅ What to serve with my Aperol Spritz?

It’s THE Italian aperitif for the summer terrace. Serve it with an Italian charcuterie board (prosciutto, salami, mortadella), marinated olives, my feta marinée aux olives et aux fines herbes, my trempette à la feta, pistaches et menthe or my brochettes de halloumi grillé avec sauce au miel, thym et citron. To complete your spritz collection to serve at the same aperitif, add my limoncello spritz à la lavande and my spritz d’automne to offer your guests a trio of spritzers.