Aperol Spritz
This iconic bright orange drink is a wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an aperitif in Northeastern Italy. The essential ingredients to make it are Prosecco, Aperol and soda water. The Aperol Spritz has been perfected over time, from a wine-based beverage to the Aperol and soda water concoction we treat ourselves to today.
History of Aperol Spritz
The Aperol Spritz, also commonly known as a Spritz Veneziano for where it was created, was born in the 1800s. During the Hasburg domination in the Veneto region during this time, the soldiers, merchants and diplomats of the Hasburg empire got used to drinking wine in the local taverns. Nonetheless, these new varieties of wines were unfamiliar and had higher alcohol contents than they were accustomed to. The newcomers then asked the locals to spray a bit of water into the wine (spritzen in German) to make the wines lighter. So, the real original spritz was composed of sparkling white wine or red wine diluted with fresh water.
The Aperol component that know and love today was created in Padua in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the recipe was adapted to include Aperol and soda water.