Aperol Fizz

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Summer is coming to an end, but hey, the weather is telling me otherwise. Let me throw together a refreshing and tasty Aperol Fizz with only three ingredients: Aperol, prosecco, and spiked seltzer. It's a great drink for autumn, summer and brunch, and honestly, any time of the year as long as you like it!

It's one of my favorite refreshing cocktails, and more importantly, this version doesn't even need a cocktail shaker. All you need is a wine glass or highball glass, and you can build it right in the glass! It only takes a few minutes, and you'll have a delicious cocktail in your hand. It'll be one of your go-to cocktail recipes.

WHAT IS AN APEROL FIZZ?

Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif, and it has an herbal taste and a pleasant bittersweet orange flavor. This cocktail is from Cotogna restaurant in San Francisco, pairing with lemon juice, seltzer, and egg white for a frothy drink that’s perfect for brunch.

However, I wasn't feeling an egg in my cocktail, so I swapped out a few ingredients and made my own version. Also, I received several cans of Stewart's Orange Cream Spiked Seltzer, and I thought it would go well with Aperol, which absolutely did!

INGREDIENTS

• Aperol - There's only one Aperol liqueur, so I used Aperol. There's aren't too many options for this one.
• Prosecco - I used Tosca Prosecco Brut. Because I was planning to mix it into a cocktail, I didn't want to spend too much money on prosecco. Something along the lines of $20-30 is good, such as Mionetto or La Marca.
• Spiked Seltzer - I was gifted a case of Stewart's Spiked Seltzer on my Instagram. I tried it and really like the light, bubbly texture with the sweet and citrus orange cream flavor. I used this one, but I'm going to share some substitutions below.
• Garnishes - I used a slice of orange and a sprig of mint. The refresh orange slice adds flavors, and it's a nice little snack while sipping the drink. A bit of green from the mint gives the drink life and makes it extra aesthetically pleasing for Instagram and pictures.

SUBSTITUTIONS

In the original recipe, it called for Aperol, lemon juice, egg white, simple syrup and soda water, but I swapped out most of the ingredients.

• Citrus - It called for fresh lemon juice, and other options could be lime or grapefruit juice. However, the spiked seltzer had enough citrus flavors, so I left out the citrus.
• Sweeteners - It called for simple syrup, and any sugar syrup could work. Once again, the seltzer water had a sweetness to it cause of its orange cream flavor, so I decided to not add any additional sweetness to it. Feel free to adjust to your liking. A half oz of simple syrup could be a nice balance. But if this was for a cocktail party and you expect guests to have multiple drinks, less sugar content will be a good idea.
• Froth - It called for an egg white, which gives it a nice foamy, frothy later. It's a nice added texture to the drink, and something about it is fun. However, when it comes to egg white, I'm picky, and I only pair egg white with stronger, bolder flavored cocktails. Or cocktails with higher alcohol content.
• Soda Water - It called for soda water (aka sparkling water), but feel free to use other alternatives, such as spiked seltzer like I did, club soda, or tonic water.

HOW TO MAKE AN APEROL FIZZ?

In the original recipe from Cotogna restaurant in San Francisco, you would add Aperol, simple syrup, lemon juice, and egg white in a cocktail shaker, shake it up dry and then wet shake, strain it to a glass, and then top it with soda.

In my version, it like to keep it easy and simple. I add ice to a glass and build it with Aperol, prosecco, and flavored spiked seltzer. Give it a stir and garnish it with an orange slice and mint. And it's ready to drink in less than five minutes.

VARIATIONS

• Classic Aperol Spritz - My version is almost a spinoff of the classic Aperol Spritz, which is consist of Aperol, prosecco and soda water.
• Campari Spritz - Campari Spritz is similar to Aperol Spritz besides the main alcohol being Campari instead of Aperol. Campari also has an herbal flavor with hints of fruits, but it's definitely more bitter and stronger in flavors.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

📖 Recipe

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