By Last summer was the summer of the spritz, with All Bar One predicting to serve enough Aperol Spritz to fill the boots of 95 Fiat 500s (crazy, huh). But beyond that, we're interested in other ways to make use of that 70cl bottle of orange liqueur. Sure — a classic Aperol Spritz (if you want a guide on how to make an Aperol Spritz, we've got you) is a given, but have you ever wondered what else you could make? How about combining two of your favourite cocktails and creating an Aperol Marg? Or adding lots of ice and making an Aperol Slushie?
For as long as we can remember, Aperol has been one of the world's most famous aperitifs. It's loved by millions all over, and in 2022 the recorded volume of sales was over 5.4 million nine litre cases.
Originally launched behind the idea of creating the "lightest of liqueurs," Aperol has gone on to become instantly recognisable all over the globe, with its famous Aperol Spritz becoming the sixth most popular cocktail globally (the Margarita is first).
And so, in honour of the nation's favourite orange-hued, bitter liqueur, we've got eight cocktail recipes for you to mix up this summer. And we promise you won't regret a thing! From Aperol Cosmopolitans to Summer Negronis, here's our favourite ways to use Aperol.
Aperol Spritz Slushie
You know the drill — take your favourite cocktail (in this case, the classic Aperol Spritz), combine it with a bunch of ice, and blend. The result? The dreamiest, spiked slushie you've ever had. Team it with a slice of orange, and your girlfriends will be desperate for more.
Aperol Sour
Possibly the prettiest cocktail to ever grace our screens, say hello to one of our favourites... the Aperol Sour. Combining our favourite orange liqueur with gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup, it's actually the egg white that makes this the perfect summer serve. When using egg whites, the trick is to shake as well as you can, and have lots of ice — this way the egg emulsifies and creates that light foam you're after. Now, who's for a girl's night where we only drink these?
Aperol Cosmopolitan
Calling all vodka fanatics! We've merged Aperol and vodka for a Cosmo 2.0, and it's going to change your life (no — seriously). Served in a coupe and using just three ingredients, all you need is a cocktail shaker and a lime wedge for the sexiest Cosmo, ever.
Paper Plane
If a strong cocktail is what you're after, then look no further than this Paper Plane. Although it's not been around for long (it was invented back in 2008 by award-winning bartender, Sam Ross) — it sure will stop you in your tracks. We're talking equal-parts of everything. And when we say everything, we mean three different types of booze.
Summer Negroni
If you're not making your negroni with a splash of Aperol, then what are you doing? You betcha we've taken one of the most classic cocktails, and transformed it into a sweeter, less herbaceous serve that might even beat the original (don't come for us).
Aperol Margarita
Your usual marg ingredients (along with some lime-for-orange swapsies), but this time combined with our favourite orange liqueur — Aperol. Other recipes switch out triple sec for Aperol, but we're doubling up on that orange goodness because, we can!
St Germain and Aperol Fizz
Name a more delicious duo? If there's one cocktail we'd love to see more of in bars, it's this. St Germain and Aperol are *practically* made for each other, and we've never tasted anything so mouth-wateringly delicious.
The sweetness of the elderflower liqueur goes amazingly with the bitterness from the Aperol, resulting in a well-balanced, floral, bitter and bubbly serve. You're welcome!
Aperold Fashioned
We're going to say it — if you weren't a whisky fan before, you are now! We've taken one of the world's most popular whisky cocktails and upgraded it with a splash of Aperol. And let's just say, we've nailed it... Three ingredients and an orange slice is all you need to make this cracking winter-turn-summer cocktail.
Aperol Aperitivo, 11% ABV, Italian Spritz, 70cl
