Somewhere around 2018 the Aperol Spritz stopped being an Italian holiday drink and quietly took over every beer garden in Britain, and honestly, fair enough. It is bright orange, lightly bitter, gently fizzy, and it makes a Tuesday afternoon feel like a terrace in Venice. It is also one of the easiest cocktails you will ever build, three pours over ice and you are done.
The catch is that most homemade spritzes taste flat compared to the bar version, and it is almost never the ingredients, it is the method. Warm glass, not enough ice, wrong order of pouring. Here is how I make it properly, with the 3-2-1 ratio the Italians swear by and my notes on where people go wrong.
What Is an Aperol Spritz?
An Aperol Spritz is a sparkling Italian aperitivo made from prosecco, Aperol and a splash of soda water, served over plenty of ice in a big wine glass with a slice of orange. Aperol itself is a bittersweet orange liqueur from Padua that has been around since 1919, and the spritz serve grew out of the old Venetian habit of lengthening wine with a splash of water.
The magic is the ratio, three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda. Enough prosecco to keep it lively, enough Aperol for that bitter orange backbone, and the soda to stretch it into something you can drink slowly in the sun.
Ingredients
This makes one proper spritz. Use the card below to scale it for however many glasses you are pouring, though as you will see in my notes, spritzes are best built glass by glass rather than in a jug.
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
Prosecco should be dry, look for brut on the label. A sweet prosecco plus Aperol tips the whole drink into syrup, and that is the single most common reason a homemade spritz disappoints. You do not need an expensive bottle, just a dry one, properly chilled.
Aperol is the drink, that bittersweet orange and rhubarb character is what you are here for. It only sits at 11 percent, which is why a spritz is such an easy afternoon drink compared with most cocktails.
Soda water is a small splash, not a top-up. Its job is to loosen the drink and add a touch of extra sparkle, so go gently or you will water the whole thing down.
And the ice, this is where most people go wrong. Fill the glass completely. A full glass of ice melts slower than a few sad cubes, which keeps the spritz cold and crisp to the last sip instead of warm and flat halfway through.
Variations Worth Trying
- Hugo Spritz: swap the Aperol for elderflower liqueur and add fresh mint, lighter, more floral and hugely popular right now.
- Campari Spritz: same build with Campari instead, noticeably more bitter and a deeper red, one for the Negroni crowd.
- Limoncello Spritz: swap in limoncello for a sweeter, sherbety lemon version that works brilliantly after dinner.
- Lighter spritz: nudge the soda up and the Aperol down for a longer, gentler drink that keeps its colour.
Skip the Mixing
If you love the spritz style but do not fancy keeping prosecco, Aperol and soda on standby, this is exactly the problem Boozy exists to solve. Our Hugo Spritz delivers that light, floral spritz feeling straight from a chilled can, and it sits alongside the rest of our cocktail cans, from the Margarita to the party classics, all bold, bright and made for sunshine.
Aperol Spritz FAQs
What is the Aperol Spritz ratio?
Three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda water, the official 3-2-1. In practice that is 75ml prosecco, 50ml Aperol and 25ml soda over a full glass of ice.
Is an Aperol Spritz sweet or bitter?
Both, and that is the point. It leads with gentle orange sweetness and finishes with a light bitterness that keeps it refreshing rather than sugary. Using a dry prosecco keeps that balance right.
What prosecco is best for an Aperol Spritz?
A dry brut prosecco, well chilled. It does not need to be expensive, but it does need to be dry, because the Aperol brings all the sweetness the drink needs.
How strong is an Aperol Spritz?
Gentle by cocktail standards. Aperol is only 11 percent and the drink is lengthened with soda, so a spritz lands at roughly the strength of a glass of wine, which is exactly why it suits long afternoons.
Why does my Aperol Spritz taste flat?
Almost always warm ingredients, too little ice or over-stirring. Chill everything, pack the glass with ice, pour the prosecco first and stir once, gently. The bar version is not a different recipe, it is just colder.
