This post was created in partnership with Zephyr. All thoughts and opinions are always my own.
Cheers to spring, warmer weather and what feels like a hopeful and refreshed year. As the days heat up, the cocktails cool us down. Let's put some spring in your step and refresh with a delicious Aperol Spritz.
The Aperol Spritz is a classic Italian apéritif. You can't walk down the street in just about any Italian city without seeing people conversing and enjoying this bright colorful beverage; it's too intriguing to resist trying one yourself. But have you made one at home? If not, you totally should!
It's an easy-to-remember 3-2-1 formula, and its low alcohol content means you can sip for longer. The recipe is below. But first, I want to talk about an appliance I've been using for a while now.
Our New Beverage Center
We recently transformed our dining room by creating an ultra-useful beverage center out of an under-utilized corner. And it's perfect for making these cocktails!
I had always dreamed of having a wine fridge. I had always dreamed of having a drink cooler. It's rare to find both in one, but that's what Zephyr made. And it's amazing!
We refreshed our dining area thanks to the Zephyr Presrv French Door Wine & Beverage Cooler. It sits snugly in a space in our house that used to be empty. We treated the cooler as a built-in and placed a butcher-block counter on top for the espresso machine. Drawers next to it hold liquor on the bottom and linens on the top.
It's the perfect little beverage center that gets used every single day for making coffee in the morning, grabbing a seltzer in the afternoon and pouring wine or cocktails in the evening.
Honestly, the wine and beverage cooler was one of the things that got us through the last year. Always stocked with what you might need at the moment. Always there when you need it. Another benefit of having one of these is the space it leaves in your kitchen refrigerator for food instead of being filled with drinks, especially with our growing family.
A Little About the Cooler:
It has French doors with dual zones, which means two separate fridges that can each have their own temps, depending on what you are storing. Wine goes on the left (up to 21 bottles) and we keep it at 50° F. Beverages on the right (up to 64 12-ounce cans) and we keep this side at chill 38° F and keep it stocked with beer, sparkling water, cocktail garnishes and milk for coffee drinks.
It has three LED color options, so you can set the mood to match your room's vibe. And the door alarm comes in really handy when one of the doors accidentally gets left open.
This wine and beverage cooler has worked great for us, and as we get back to entertaining, it'll even come in handier. Find out all the specs and details from Zephyr. Available to buy from Amazon or your local Zephyr dealer.
Now, let's get back to the cocktail celebration...
Aperol Spritz Ingredients
- Aperol: An Italian liquor that is made from gentian, rhubarb and cinchona, along with other ingredients. It is somewhat similar to Campari but is sweeter with less alcohol content.
- Prosecco: Go with a dry brut or extra brut prosecco as the Aperol has plenty of sweetness. You can totally substitute sparkling wine or Champagne. The dryer the better.
- Sparkling Water or Club Soda: Adds extra bubbles and helps keep it drinkable. Leave the flavor out of your sparkling water and let it come from the Aperol and Prosecco. Add more to dilute more if desired.
- Orange Slice: This is my preferred garnish. Some regions in Italy like Venice use a salty green olive as a garnish instead of an orange slice. Either are great.
- Fresh Ice: You can even use wine ice cubes, so it won't water down your drink as you sip. Up to you!
How to Make an Aperol Spritz
It couldn't be simpler. Three... two... one... party! Just combine three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol and one part soda water in a large wine glass. Gently stir and garnish with an orange slice, or green olive if you want to drink like a Venetian.
Experiment with switching things up and customizing it to your own taste. If you like it less sweet, use more club soda and less Aperol.
Batch It
Because of the easy 3-2-1 formula, it's easy to batch these for a group. To make enough for 4 cocktails, combine 12 ounces Prosecco + 8 ounces Aperol and 4 ounces club soda in a pitcher and give it a gentle stir. Pour over glasses filled with ice when ready to serve. Just don't mix it up too far in advance or it will lose the fizz.
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