#AperolSpritzLove

Besides the stunning orange colour, what is Aperol? Aperol is a lighter and less bitter-tasting Campari. Sort of like a step-sibling, since they have been owned by the same company (Davide Campari S.p.A.) since the 1990s.

Aperol was born in Padua, Italy. It was invented in 1919 by the Barbieri Brothers. The distinct orange colour and unique taste are a result of a closely-guarded secret recipe which is a mix of bitter and sweet oranges, herbs and, would you believe, rhubarb?

It has a surprisingly light alcohol content, 11% (half that of Campari), which makes it a great summer out-in-the-sun or lying-by-the-pool drink.

Italians love their Aperol Spritzes. If you go to Milan, visit the Aperol Terrace located on the second floor of a building on the Piazza del Duomo and get a fabulous view of the Duomo. While the drinks may, for Italy, seem expensive, they serve them with plates of food, and they continue to bring food. Pete and I stopped in to pay homage in May, and basically ended up up having dinner (complete with apple tarts for dessert) there. (ELIN’S TIP: the view is spectacular from the terrace. Well worth waiting for a seat or table there.)

While the Aperol Spritz may be one of the easiest drinks to make, it rarely gets made well if you order it in a bar outside of Italy.  In Italy, they have it down to a science. 3-2-1! Don’t believe me? The recipe is on the back of the bottle.

What you need:

• Prosecco – 3 parts (3 ounces)
• Aperol – 2 parts (2 ounces)
• Club Soda – 1 part (1ounce)
• Orange Slice
• Ice
• Big Wine Glass

What you do:

• Add ice in wine glass
• Add prosecco
• Add Aperol
• Add Club Soda
• Garnish with 1/2 an orange slice
• Drink
• Repeat

Like it a little stronger and want to make a Campari Spritz? Replace the Aperol with Campari.

We have had really good Aperol Spritzes throughout Italy, and would be remiss if we didn’t give a shout out to Eataly, both in Milan, at the World Expo, and in Genova. Eataly was started in 2007 in Turin, by Oscar Farinetti. You can find the stores in Italy, Forlì, Genova, Piancenza, Firenze, Bari, Torino Lagrande, Bologna, Monticello D’Alba and Pinerola. In the US, in New York, Boston and Los Angeles. Worldwide in Japan, Dubai, Brasile and Istanbul. Good news for Canadians? Eataly is coming to Toronto!

Aperol is best known in Italy, Germany and Austria. Pete and I are making it our mission to make Canada the #4 market worldwide. At our recent wedding, a friend commented that our wedding should have been sponsored by Aperol (Note to Aperol Marketing – it is not too late!). We had so many friends hooked on Aperol Spritzes, when we came back, there was a Toronto Aperol shortage! I had to get Pete to bring me Aperol from Calgary!