The Aperol Spritz: The Italian Symbol of Vitality and Connectedness

September 16, 2017
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Food, Pairings, and Recipes, Italy, Travel
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When I think of the Aperol Spritz, I think of friendship. I think of sharing laughter and stories with new friends as burnt orange light dips below the Venetian skyline and peers through the lane-ways.

When I drink an Aperol Spritz, I remember the Italian City of Knowledge, Padua (Padova in Italian), and I associate this drink with many enlightening conversations.

The red-orange coloured Aperol hails from Padua, where in 1919 the Barbieri family created the original low alcohol (11% abv) recipe infused with aromatic herbs and spices, including bitter and sweet orange. Apparently Aperol was named after the French word apéro (short for apéritif), which Silvio Barbieri learned on a trip to France in the early 1900s.

The city of Padua where Aperol originated from. The famed Palazzo della Ragione can be seen on the left.

Aperol is a key ingredient in the Aperol Spritz cocktail, which has become a symbol of Italian zest for life, of vitality, and of social connectedness. The bright colour of the Aperol Spritz coupled with the drink’s effervescent nature is reminiscent of Italian piazzas in the summer and it’s no surprise travellers returning from Italy drink Aperol Spritz on their ‘re-entry’ to daily life to recreate that ‘spritz’ feeling.

To make a refreshing Aperol Spritz, the ingredients are: Aperol; Prosecco DOC (or any dry sparkling wine); soda water; ice; and a slice of orange. Simply add ice to a glass, then pour in 3 parts Prosecco (90 ml), 2 parts Aperol (60 ml), and 1 part soda water (30 ml). Add a slice of orange and enjoy as a pre-dinner drink.

Having an Aperol Spritz with friends in Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro

The Aperol advertising campaign to make the perfect Aperol Spritz is very effective—to make an Aperol Spritz, it’s as easy as 3, 2, 1 (see below).

Note: The exact quantities of Prosecco, Aperol, and soda water I have provided is what is recommended for Aperol sold in Australia.

Feature photo: Enjoying an Aperol Spritz on La Giudecca, Venice

More about Christina

I am a psychology scholar interested in what makes life both pleasurable and meaningful. I suppose I am an epicurean in the sense that I like good food and wine; but, like the philosopher Epicurus, who actually advocated for tranquility, my international wine and food adventures are more about finding peace than anything else. They are about connecting with others, connecting with the earth, and practising self-compassion. My favourite grape variety is Nebbiolo, I love the way poetry expresses our common humanity, and I believe it's possible to find love in each micro-moment of life. So perhaps it was inevitable I would create this site called Falling in Wine.