Holiday Aperol Spritz
A spritz is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a before dinner drink. Aperol Spritz, Campari Spritz, Hugo Spritz are a few classic Italian Spritzs that we enjoy in our house. It helps that my fiance is Italian and was essentially born with a spritz in his hand! But I usually associate an Aperol Spritz with summertime. Warm, sunny days in which you sip this tasty beverage outside somewhere! And then I thought, why not sass it up a bit for a winter riff on a spritz? Add some warmth like cinnamon and rosemary for a wintry feeling drink?
And here we are. My Holiday Aperol Spritz! It’s so darn easy to make and so darn easy to drink. Plus it’s so, so pretty with his rosy hue. I love to pop a rosemary sprig and cinnamon stick in there so they peek out over the rim of the glass. Float a few cranberries atop, you can’t get more festive than that! Swapping out the prosecco and substituting hard cider is a fun way to incorporate fall and winter apples into the drink. You absolutely must make the cinnamon-sugar rim. It really adds that fun warmth from the spice!
And if you’re anything like my family you like to have a signature cocktail, a welcoming cocktail, as we call it. A special drink to welcome everyone into your home to say hellos and chat a little before you get into the thick of the appetizers and the meal itself. So stock up on your favorite aperitivo and throw together this little beverage for your holidays so you can also live la dolce vita!
xo,
Kendra
Holiday Aperol Spritz
Makes 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 bottles or cans of hard, dry cider
- 1 bottle Aperol
- Sparkling water or club soda
- Garnishes of: rosemary sprigs, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, cranberries
Directions
- Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Pour into a small shallow plate.
- Get a paper towel pretty wet and roll up. Place on a small plate and roll the rim of each glass to get it wet. Then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
- Add ice to each glass.
- Fill up using the ratio of 3-2-1. Three parts dry hard cider, 2 parts Aperol and 1 part club soda (if you need to measure you can do 3 oz. dry cider, 2 oz. Aperol and 1 oz. club soda).
- Garnish with rosemary, cinnamon sticks, orange slices and a couple cranberries.
