The Aperol Fizz is similar to the popular Italian drink called the Aperol Spritz or Sprizz, except that it swaps the club soda for tonic water. I really liked the extra bittersweet tang from the tonic water, and think you will too.
June 6, 2023The bright orange hue of this cocktail comes from the combination of the Italian aperitif Aperol and guava nectar. I like it with sekt, the light sparkling wine that comes from Germany. It would be fine before dinner though it would also be quite tasty with for brunch, if you can rationalize it. Makes 1 cocktail 2 ounces guava nectar 1 ounce Aperol 1/2 ounce vodka Juice of 1/2 lemon 4-5 ounces sekt Lemon twist, for garnish Add guava nectar, Aperol, vodka and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until well chilled; strain into a martini glass. Top off with sekt. Garnish with a lemon peel. © By Maria C. Hunt, author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion Published August 2009 by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House
January 31, 2011I just did a fun Saturday morning radio interview with Mario Martnoli and Amy Strong of the “Food & Dining” show on KLAA AM 830 and are they ever Italo-philes! We talked about buying hand-blown champagne flutes in Venice, sipping cocktails made with Aperol and the Lemon Ice, a delicious digestif cocktail from The Bubbly Bar made with prosecco, vodka, lemon sorbet and fresh mint. Our conversation got me thinking about all the lovely sparkling wines and liqueurs that come from Italy. When I’m mixing a cocktail, probably the first wine I think of is prosecco, the sparkling wine from the Veneto. Wines made from the prosecco grape have such a delicate quality with soft bubbles and hints of green apple, minerals and white flowers. I recently received a sample of a new one called Passionne di Fiore.It’s a likable little wine, with lots of fresh green apple and hints…
November 14, 2009For years, I couldn’t stand most bitter foods: broccoli, radicchio, black coffee – no thanks. But I think the key to appreciating bitters is all about the balance. So that’s probably why my first adult cocktail was the gin & tonic; a perfect equilibrium between fragrant slightly bitter gin, bittersweet tonic and tangy lime. And though straight Campari still can set my teeth on edge, I appreciated it for the first time when I tasted the Quo Vadis Apertivo, a mix of Campari, tangerine juice, lemon and champagne that Paul Mant mixed up late one night (actually early one morning) at the venerable Soho bar. It was a different story — love that first night — when I discovered Aperol, Campari’s fruity orange cousin. I was still in it’s thrall when I visited Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco; so Joel Baker and I created this Aperol and champagne cocktail…
May 17, 2009