9 hours ago
I Tried the Viral 3-Ingredient Frozen Aperol Spritz
Nearly a decade ago, I spent a semester in Florence, Italy. I'll never forget wandering through the piazzas and spotting people on patios, sipping this vibrant orange drink. Out of curiosity, I ordered one during my next meal out — turns out it was an Aperol Spritz. At the time, I had no idea what to expect flavor-wise. After my first sip, the bitter notes definitely caught me off guard (for some reason, I had expected it to be sweeter!). But luckily, I love bold, bitter flavors. Before long, I started ordering an Aperol Spritz whenever I saw it on a menu. And once I returned to the United States, it quickly became one of my go-to cocktails.
So when a frozen version went viral on social media last year, it immediately caught my attention. It wasn't the first time I'd seen a slushy-style Aperol Spritz — some restaurants pumped them out of ice machines — but those versions always leaned too bitter or too sweet. Naturally, I had my doubts about this one making waves on Instagram. Still, with just three ingredients, it felt simple enough to try.
Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Frozen Aperol Spritz
Place two cups of ice, 4 ounces of orange juice, 4 ounces of Aperol, and 4 ounces of Prosecco in a blender. Blend on medium-high speed, or use a preprogrammed margarita or smoothie setting if your blender has one. Transfer the drink into two cocktail glasses, garnish each with an orange slice, and enjoy immediately.
I can't wait to make this recipe again. For starters, it's ridiculously easy, it took me about five minutes to blend everything and serve the cocktails. Plus, I tend to always have Aperol and Prosecco stocked in my home bar once summer rolls around.
I always like to preface Aperol spritz drinks by saying that, while they may look tropical thanks to their vibrant orange hue, they typically taste more bitter, herbal, and citrusy. This frozen version has that same flavor profile, but it feels slightly more refreshing because the melting ice helps mellow out some of the bitterness.
When I made this drink, I definitely felt like I was racing against the clock (it was a warm 90-degree day!). One hack I discovered: If your drink starts to melt a little too much, you can toss it back in the blender with a few ice cubes to slush it up again. Beyond that, it's so simple, and I can't wait to make pitchers of this frozen Aperol spritz for all my upcoming summer soirées.
Enhance the citrusy flavor: To take the tangy taste up a notch in this frozen Aperol spritz, add 2 ounces of orange liqueur, like Cointreau, for an even zestier profile.
Swap the Prosecco: If you don't have Prosecco on hand, you can replace it with seltzer water, club soda, or any mildly flavored sparkling beverage.
Get creative with the garnish: Instead of just placing an orange wedge on top of the spritz, try creating a twist or spiral out of the orange peel to make this cocktail look even more stunning.
Get the recipe: 3-Ingredient Frozen Aperol Spritz
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