🍊 La Dolce Vita

The Aperol Spritz
Italian Way

Venice invented it. Italy perfected it. Here’s everything you need to drink it right.

3 ingredients 5 minutes Aperitivo hour Born in Venezia

The Classic Recipe

🥂 Serves 1 — scales perfectly

3 · 2 · 1

What you need

90 ml Prosecco DOC — chilled
60 ml Aperol
30 ml soda water — just a splash
1 thick orange slice
3+ large ice cubes

The glass

Large wine glass — always
Never a tumbler or flute
Pre-chilled if possible
Stem holds the cold longer
Full to the brim — Italian style

How to Build It

Ice first — always

Fill your wine glass to the top with ice. Cold is not optional in Italy.

Prosecco goes in second

Pour the Prosecco before the Aperol — preserves bubbles and sets up the sunset gradient. 90 ml.

Aperol, poured slowly

Pour gently over the back of a bar spoon. 60 ml. It sinks through and creates that stunning orange layer.

One splash of soda

Just 30 ml. It lifts the drink without dulling the flavour. Don’t overdo it.

The orange — non-negotiable

A thick half-wheel of fresh orange. Not lemon. Not a twist. Orange only, on the rim or inside the glass.

Shopping Checklist

🛒 Tick as you go 0 / 7

Aperol (70cl bottle)

Any supermarket — the bright orange bottle

Prosecco DOC — chilled

Valdobbiadene if you want to do it properly

Soda water — small bottles

San Pellegrino sparkling works beautifully

Fresh oranges

Unwaxed if possible — squeeze the peel on the rim

Large wine glasses

Balloon or large stem — the vessel genuinely matters

Ice — lots of it

One bag per 4 people minimum

Cicchetti snacks

Olives, crostini, salumi — Venetians never drink alone

Mistakes to Avoid

⚠️ Mark the ones you’ve done 0 / 6

Used a tumbler or short glass

A wine glass changes the whole drinking experience

Poured Aperol before Prosecco

Kills the bubbles and ruins the gradient effect

Used Cava or cheap sparkling wine

Prosecco DOC is the only correct base — its dryness is the point

Skimped on the ice

Ice regulates dilution and temperature — it’s structural

Garnished with lemon instead of orange

Orange only. Always. The citrus balance is intentional.

Drank it with a main meal

Aperol Spritz is aperitivo — before the meal, never during

Test Your Knowledge

🧠 Quick fire — Question 1 of 3

Where was the Aperol Spritz born?

Things Worth Knowing

🍊

Aperol’s origin

Created in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers in Padova. “Aperol” means aperitif in local Venetian dialect.

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Only 11% ABV

A finished Aperol Spritz sits around 8% — one of the lowest-ABV cocktails, ideal for long afternoons.

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Aperitivo hour

In Italy, aperitivo runs 5–8 PM. Bars include free cicchetti with every order. It’s culture, not just happy hour.

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World’s top cocktail

Aperol Spritz was the world’s most ordered cocktail globally in 2023, outselling even the Espresso Martini.

Pro Tips — Tap to Reveal

Use large ice cubes or a single sphere. They melt far slower than small cubes, meaning less dilution over time. Small crushed ice is your enemy — it waters down your spritz in minutes.

Before placing the orange slice, squeeze the peel around the rim to release essential oils. This coats the glass with citrus fragrance — you smell it before you even sip. Tiny move, massive difference.

Always go Prosecco DOC Brut or Extra Dry — never sweet. Aperol is already sweet; the Prosecco must balance it. Valdobbiadene DOCG is the gold standard. Any Brut DOC from the Veneto works on a budget.

Aperol Spritz is never drunk without food in Italy. Cicchetti — olives, crostini, salumi — slow your drinking and heighten appreciation of the drink. That’s the entire aperitivo philosophy.

Put your wine glasses in the freezer for 10–15 minutes before serving. A frosted glass keeps everything colder longer and creates gorgeous condensation on the outside.

“Un’ombra de vin” — a shadow of wine. That’s what Venetians called a small drink in the old days. The Aperol Spritz is its glorious modern heir.

Venetian saying

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One Sip of This Aperol Spritz Feels Like an Italian Holiday

The Aperol Spritz
Italian Way