I love to have a cocktail shortly before or while making dinner. One of my favorite go to cocktails in the heat of Summer is what I’ve named a Goddess Spritzer. It’s super light and won’t ruin your appetite. It is made with Aperol.
Aperol is an Italian aperitif originally produced by the Barbieri company, based in Padua. It’s ingredients are, among others, bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona. An apéritif (also spelled aperitif) is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
Aperol is bitter in taste, comparative to Campari. It is an acquired taste. These days our palates are trained to like sweet, so bitter tastes are usually avoided. What I LOVE about this cocktail is it’s totally Italiano and therefore very chic! The Prosecco cuts the bitterness of the Aperol perfectly. If you can’t find Prosecco you can use a champagne of your choosing in its place. I didn’t have exactly the right ingredients for my Goddess Spritzer tonight so I used a different kind of champagne and a lemon slice instead. It’s all good!
Ingredients:
2 parts Aperol
3 parts Prosecco
1 splash of seltzer
slice of orange
ice
Directions:
- Fill wine glass with ice cubes.
- Pour Aperol into the glass first.
- Pour Prosecco into the glass next.
- Finish with a splash of seltzer.
- Garnish with a slice of orange.
- Cheers!
