Aperol Aperitif

TASTING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

With its bright orange color, Aperol is easily recognizable. It’s an Italian aperitif liquor, with a bittersweet, but light and refreshing taste. Aperol Aperitif has a low alcohol content (11%), and is meant to stimulate the appetite and consumed usually before dinner.

Its ingredients are generally a secret, but there is citrus oil from sweet and bitter oranges, rhubarb, gentian root, and cinchona bark. It’s often confused with Campari, another bright Italian aperitif, but the latter is a bright red and more bitter than Aperol.

PREPARATION AND PAIRINGS

Aperol is a great mixer, and can be combined with beer, Coke, ginger beer, or bourbon. But of course, we can’t talk about Aperol without giving you the recipe for the classic and popular Aperol Spritz. This is the official recipe from the Aperol site, and it’s super easy:

Fill a wine glass with ice, pour in 3 parts Prosecco and 2 parts Aperol. Add in 1 splash of soda water. Garnish with a slice of orange. Serve with appetizers, like a bruschetta with goat cheese, honey, and crushed walnuts, or a bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and olives.

FROM SIMPLE MIXER TO AN ICONIC DRINK

Debuted in 1919, at the International Fair in Padua, Italy, Aperol was created by Luigi and Slivio Barbieri. The Barbieri brothers had a mission to make an aperitif with a low alcohol content, and its name, “Aperol,” is taken from the French word, “apero.”

The classic Aperol Spritz was developed in the 1950s, and it was only then that Aperol became popular. It became an important part of northeastern Italian cocktail culture. But it was only in 2003, when the Campari Group acquired Aperol that Aperol Spritz made its way out of northern Italy. They launched a marketing campaign that guaranteed Aperol’s place in bar shelves around the world.

Storage Instructions

Unopened, Aperol will last in room temperature for at least 12 months. Once opened, store it in your refrigerator, and consume within 3 to 4 months upon opening.