When Summer Won’t Quit: Italian Spritz

Italian Spritz with our French macaroons is how we roll

Cin Cin!

My love for all things Italian runs deep. Great grandma Rosie deep; semester abroad in Florence deep; married an Italian guy so I could finally have an Italian last name deep, (ahem, there may have been additional reasons for marrying the Italian guy.) Anyway, all this is to say that when my bestie brought the Italian Spritz to New Year’s Eve festivities last year as her contribution to the booz, I felt ecstatic (mmm, delish!) but also ashamed! How could I have lived this long and not yet discovered the beautifully balanced sweet and bitter delight that is this cocktail and call myself an Italophile? Signore Fellini would be disappointed.

Italian Spritz - Saluti!

1 part Aperol

1 part Prosecco (sweet sparkling wine)

Garnish with orange peel

It’s pretty simple, combine two quality ingredients and let their flavors speak for themselves; an approach you will find in many Italian dishes. Some versions of this you may find also use an equal part of sparkling water, like San Pellegrino (let’s keep it Italian, per favore.) This may entice you if you plan on serving up a pitcher of these at a brunch, mimosa style. However, when the heat and humidity of late summer last well into the evening hours, this crisp and bubbly delight, unwatered-down, will do wonders to cool you to your core.

Affirming Aperol

If you haven’t yet incorporated this orange beauty into your liquor cabinet, here is why you should. Aperol, Campari’s less-bitter little sister, is an Italian apéritif dating back to 1919. It's made of bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients, and has a nice herbal and citrus flavor. Being half the alcohol content as of the more-widely-known Campari, it’s less bitter in taste and mixes well with others. Try it with Pimms, tonic water, and some mint and cucumbers like the Modern in NYC to welcome in the spring.  Tamper down a Negroni by subbing in Aperol for Campari. It even plays well with darker spirits like bourbon. Make a Paper Plane with equal parts Aperol, Amaro, Bourbon, and lemon juice. There is no end to Aperol’s versatility, so pick up a bottle today and start exploring!

By Julz Vivalo