What Makes Aperol Spritz The Summer Drink Of Everyone's Choice?

Aperol Spritz is flowing this summer from the counters of New York City's most magical locations, from the terrace of the Independent Art Fair in Tribeca to the flamingo-themed new bakery on the Brooklyn block.

In Singapore, you can go on an Aperol Spritz pub crawl, and in Paris, it's already a standard alongside the local pastis and kir.

Aperitivo (Italy's beloved pre-dinner drink) is the new happy hour. Nonetheless, the present popularity of Aperol Spritz perplexes the Venetians.

How did a drink that could only be accessible in our region's lowly osteria (taverns) and cheap local bars 20 years ago captivate the world?

Sipping On Sunshine: Here's Why Aperol Spritz Is A Summertime Must-Drink

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The Venetian aperitivo was recently voted Italy's favourite pre-dinner drink and is made in about three minutes with half a glass of prosecco, a third glass of bitter liqueur, ice cubes, and a splash of seltzer¡ªadded in this order so that the bubbles naturally burble up¡ªand garnished with a big, juicy olive or an orange slice.

It has become so popular that Italian Minister Eugenia Roccella blamed it for the country's population crisis, claiming that young couples now have to choose between "drinking spritz and having kids."

It's become so popular in the United States that Star Wars actress Zendaya, among others, wears Aperol Spritz-colored nail polish inspired by the drink's sunny orange hue.

The original spritz, on the other hand, was not orange.

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Its origins can be traced back to the nineteenth century, when Austria invaded Venice in 1797 and dominated it for decades. The Austrians had little love for the heavy Venetian wine, Malvasia, and brought their tradition of "Spritzen," which involved adding a splash of sparkling water to a glass of white wine.

The idea to use prosecco instead of wine and mix it with a bitter liqueur came much later when Venetians decided that watered-down wine was too light and began to add Aperol, Select, Campari, or Cynar (listed in order of sweetest to most bitter), according to Giuseppe Zanon, bartender and co-owner of the historic Al Merc¨¤ caf¨¦ (Campo Bella Vienna, 213) by the Rialto Bridge.

When Did Aperol Get Popularised?

Aperol, the world's most popular spritz liqueur, was produced in 1919 in the adjacent city of Padova by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri after seven years of research in their father's distillery, macerating sour orange peels, gentian root, rhubarb, and spices.

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Because of its low alcohol content (11%), it was first sold to drinkers who wished to stay fit in the 1920s and to women in the 1930s with the phrase "Signora! Aperol keeps you thin."

By the 1980s, it was dirt-cheap and well-liked by regulars at every Veneto bar, forming a sort of spritz archipelago in the Po Valley, with Padova, Venice, Treviso, and Vicenza carrying on the tradition, each with its own slightly different recipe.

"Aperol Spritz was the drink of old salts and old drunks, the ones at the bar who (I say this with the deepest affection) would curse every three words," explained Roberto Pasini, author of the 2013 pamphlet A Guide to Spritz.

It was served in robust rock tumblers "that were indestructible and could be slammed down on the osteria counter."

However, rowdy old guys were not the only ones who saw the appeal of the cheap and cheerful drink.

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By the late '90s, Padova's mediaeval squares and cobblestoned backstreets of its ancient ghetto teemed with raucous students sipping Aperol or Campari spritzes in plastic cups with their pals every Friday evening.

It was a pretext to meet people and remain out late, with the olive garnish frequently serving as a substitute for dinner.

Venetian Summer In A Song

Sir Oliver Skardy, whom I can only describe as our Venetian Bob Marley, portrayed the osteria as a "real oasis" in the oppressive heat of the Venetian summer in his song Fame un Spritz (Make Me a Spritz), where students and grandpas alike would play cards, dine, drink, and revel together.

Campari purchased Aperol in 2003 to ensure dominance of the Venetian market.

It also introduced this regional aperitivo to a few select bars in Milan and, in a stroke of design genius, began serving it in an exquisite and tall balloon-shaped glass rather than the Osteria's rock tumbler.

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Recipe For Aperol Spritz

Step 1: Fill a tumbler with two ice cubes and one orange slice.

Step 2: Ladle the prosecco over the ice.

Step 3: Add the Aperol and a splash of seltzer water¡ªpreferably a bar gun, but any seltzer water will do (never use sugary soda).

Step 4: Finish with an unpitted olive and an orange slice as garnish.

What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments.

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