5 Aperol Cocktails Beyond the Namesake Spritz

The Atlas Spritz. Photo credit Carol Kicinski

Millions of Aperol Spritzes are sold each year at brunch restaurants, beach parties, and rooftop bars. The all-day cocktail with its bright orange color, often served in a wine goblet, is easily identifiable and supremely moreish – after the first one goes out, other customers in the bar suddenly become inspired to order one for themselves.

While the Aperol Spritz sells like gangbusters, it’s not the only use for the bittersweet, low-ABV liqueur. Recent cocktail books include a number of other inspiring drinks made with Aperol, which are shared below with author permission. Enjoy!

Hit the Spa: The Atlas Spritz

Recipe courtesy of Sother Teague

Rum, lime, and cucumber meet our old friend Aperol in this cocktail developed by New York bartender Sother Teague. The drink was inspired by a novel called The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – as were all the other entries in Elizabeth Sagan’s Get Lit: Cocktails That Bring Your Favorite Books to Life, which promises a “literary-themed journey through the world of drinks.” This recipe has been printed with permission from Media Lab Books.

• 4 thin cucumber slices, divided 

• 1/2 oz. simple syrup 

• 1/2 oz. lime juice 

• 1-1/2 oz. dark rum 

• 1 oz. Aperol 

• Club soda 

• Spritz of absinthe (optional)

In a shaker tin, muddle 3 cucumber slices with the syrup and lime juice. Add the rum and Aperol along with plenty of ice. Shake vigorously to chill, dilute, and aerate. Strain into a wine glass and add fresh ice. Top up with club soda. Spritz the top of the drink with absinthe if using, and garnish with remaining cucumber slice.

Like A Leisurely Bike Ride: The Biciclettina

The Biciclettina. Photo credit Quaker City Mercantile

Recipe courtesy of Lee Noble

This take on a Bicicletta is found in the book In Session: Low-Proof Cocktails for High-Quality Occasions, which features “session-able” cocktails and classic drinks with low-ABV swaps. 

• 4 oz. dry white wine

• 2 oz. Aperol

• 1 bar spoon orange blossom water

• Seltzer, to top

• Orange wheel, for garnish

Combine the wine, Aperol, and orange blossom water in a short glass with ice and stir briskly to combine. Top with seltzer, garnish, and serve.

A Paloma With a Little Something Extra: The Xochimilco Collins

The Xochimilco Collins. Photo credit Megan Rainwater

Recipe courtesy of Kaitlyn Stewart

The Xochimilco Collins is bartender Kaitlyn Stewart’s elevated take on a Paloma, and is reprinted here with permission from A Quick Drink by Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix with Megan Krigbaum, with photography by Megan Rainwater. 

• 1 oz. blanco tequila

• 1/2 oz. mezcal

• 1/2 oz. Aperol

• 1/2 oz. Galliano 

• 1 oz. grapefruit juice

• 1/2 oz. lime juice

• Ginger beer, to top

• Rosemary sprig, for garnish

Add the tequila, mezcal, Aperol, Galliano, and grapefruit and lime juices to a cocktail shaker with rosemary. Shake until cold and strain into a Collins glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with rosemary sprig.

A Split Spritz: Like a Flame in the Sky

Like a Flame in the Sky cocktail. Photo credit Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson

Recipe courtesy of Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson

This take on the spritz splits the base between Aperol and limoncello, and drops the sparkling wine found in the traditional mix. It comes from the book Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home by content creators Natalie Migliarini and James Stevenson. 

• 1 oz. Aperol

• 1 oz. limoncello

• 1/2 oz. orange juice

• 2 oz. soda water

• Edible flower, for garnish

Build the ingredients, in the listed order, in a highball glass with ice. Stir for approximately 10 seconds to combine the ingredients. Garnish with an edible flower.

Tomatoes and Aperol, Together At Last: La Tomatina

La Tomatina cocktail. Photo credit Ted Nghiem

Recipe courtesy of Brian Bolles

While most cocktail ingredients are made from plants, in The Vedge Bar Book from Philadelphia plant-based restaurant Vedge, authors Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau, along with bar pros Brian Bolles and Ginevra Reiff, find creative ways to put more of them into every drink. Here, they combine tomato water and cucumber with gin and a big dose of Aperol to honor Spain’s famous late-summer festival, La Tomatina.

Recipe from The Vedge Bar Book: Plant-Based Cocktails and Light Bites for Inspired Entertaining © Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau (2024). Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold.   

• Three 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cucumber slices 

• 2 oz. BCN gin 

• 3/4 oz. Aperol 

• 1/2 oz. Salted Tomato Water (instructions follow)

• 2 dashes orange bitters

• Tomato-Cucumber Rosette, for garnish (instructions follow)

Chill a Nick and Nora glass. Add the cucumber slices to a mixing glass and muddle lightly. Add the gin, Aperol, tomato water, and bitters, fill the glass with ice, and stir until chilled, 8 to 10 seconds. Strain through a Hawthorne strainer held over a conical strainer into the chilled glass. Garnish with the tomato-cucumber rosette.

Salted Tomato Water

• 1 tomato, chopped 

• 1 tsp. fine sea salt 

Add the tomato to a small bowl, sprinkle with the salt, and stir to combine. Cover and let rest for 2 hours. 

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (Be patient; resist pushing the tomato mixture through the strainer, or the liquid will be muddy. Save the chopped tomato for another use.) Store the liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Tomato-Cucumber Rosette

• Tomato slice 

• Cucumber ribbon 

Starting from one edge, roll the tomato slice into a simple rosette, then roll part of the cucumber ribbon around the tomato rosette. Skewer to keep the layers from coming apart and set aside for garnish.