Italy's Latest “In” Beverage

Aperol is a wildly popular Italian aperitivo, (the French equivalent of an aperitif----an alcoholic drink, drunk before a meal to “wet the appetite”) especially in the North East region of Italy where it originated.  On a recent trip to Venice every table of Italians had an “Aperol Spritz” (Aperol mixed with Prosecco, a sparkling wine from the hills above Venice.)  The apertivo was hard to miss due to its bright neon-orange color, derived from an intense infusion of sweet and bitter oranges along with rhubarb.

Only recently exported to the USA, Aperol is becoming the new Bellini cocktail for Americans foodies.  Even Ruth Reichel, former restaurant critic for The New York Times and editor of Gourmet, has recently twittered about Aperol.

Here’s my fave way to serve it…my interpretation of the Aperol Sprtiz:

·        2 oz Aperol

·        2 oz Prosecco (or other dry sparkling wine)

·        Splash of sparkling water

Place all ingredients above in a wine glass with ice cubes and decorate with an orange slice.

Tomorrow we board a plane for a sorely needed R&R with friends at a villa on Lake Como.  You can bet that we’ll be having an Aperol Spritz to celebrate our arrival.