Drinks • Cocktails

Aperol Spritz

Name: Aperol Spritz
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups ice cubes, preferably large cubes; 12 oz Prosecco, chilled (about half a 750 ml bottle); 8 oz Aperol, chilled; 4 oz club soda, chilled; 1 orange, cut into thin half-moons; 4 wide strips orange peel, for garnish; 2 oz fresh orange juice, optional, for a softer pour; 4 small rosemary sprigs, optional

Prosecco, Aperol, and a splash of soda over ice with an orange slice for a bittersweet, low-alcohol aperitif.

Updated: Nov 9, 2026

⏱ 5 mintotal

4servings

160 kcalper serving

Easylevel

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Why you'll like it

Ready in about 5 min.
Serves 4 — easy to halve or double.
Easy level — everyday equipment only.
Storage, freezing and reheating covered below.

This Aperol Spritz recipe takes 5 min and makes 4 servings. The drink follows the ratio Italian bars use: three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, and one part soda, poured over plenty of ice in a wine glass with an orange slice.

Helpful guides

Instructions

Step 1

Chill the Prosecco, Aperol, and club soda in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and put the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes. Cold liquid holds carbonation, while a room-temperature bottle foams up and then goes flat in the glass.

Step 2

Fill each wine glass about halfway with ice, using large cubes if you have them. A well-iced glass stays cold with less melt water, and a glass with only a few cubes lets the drink go warm and watery fast.

Step 3

Pour 3 oz of Prosecco into each glass first, then 2 oz of Aperol slowly over the back of a spoon. Prosecco first lets the Aperol settle in a layer, and the drink mixes itself as it is stirred at the table.

Step 4

Add a 1 oz splash of club soda to each glass and stir once, gently, from the bottom up. Soda lightens the drink and lifts the bitterness, while more than a splash dilutes the Aperol until the drink tastes thin.

Step 5

Tuck an orange half-moon into the ice, add a strip of orange peel, and serve. Press the peel skin-side down over the glass first to release the oils, which carry most of the orange aroma.

Step 6

For a party, set out a tray with the glasses, ice, and orange slices and pour to order, keeping the bottles in an ice bucket. Mixing a big pitcher in advance costs the bubbles, so each glass should take under a minute.

Troubleshooting — fixes, not repeats

If the spritz tastes too bitter, add the optional orange juice or an extra splash of soda rather than more Prosecco. Aperol is the bitter element, and loosening it slightly balances the drink better than adding more alcohol.
If it tastes too sweet, choose a Prosecco labeled brut rather than extra dry. Extra dry carries more sugar than the name suggests, while brut keeps the finish crisp and the Aperol in front.
If the drink goes flat quickly, the glass was warm or the soda was stirred in hard. Chill the glass, add the soda last, and stir once, because a spritz is meant to be finished within 15 minutes.
If you are short on refrigerator space, chill the bottles in a bucket of ice and water for 20 minutes, which is faster than air. Keep Aperol in the refrigerator rather than the freezer, since its sugar and alcohol keep it from freezing solid but cold thickens it.

Make it your way

Serving with rice or naan: For a frozen spritz, blend the Prosecco, Aperol, and soda with 3 cups of ice until slushy and serve it in the same chilled glasses.
A blood orange spritz uses blood orange slices and 1 oz of blood orange juice for a deeper color and a rounder sweetness.
Swapping Aperol for Campari gives a stronger, more bitter drink that needs the full splash of soda.
For an alcohol-free version, stir 2 oz of a zero-proof bitter aperitivo with 4 oz of chilled sparkling water over ice and garnish with an orange slice.

Storage & reheating

Cool leftovers within 2 hours, then refrigerate in a covered container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat only the portion you will eat until steaming hot throughout — poultry and reheated rice should reach 165°F (74°C).

FAQ

Can I use Champagne instead of Prosecco?
Yes, though the drink changes: Champagne is drier and more acidic, so the spritz tastes sharper and less fruity. Cava is the closest affordable substitute and behaves much like Prosecco. Avoid anything labeled sweet or demi-sec, which pushes the drink out of balance.

Why does my spritz taste watery?
Usually too little ice and too much stirring. Fill the glass with cold ice, add the soda last, and stir once from the bottom. Ice that has been sitting in a cooler also melts immediately, so use cubes straight from the freezer.

How many drinks does one bottle make?
A 750 ml bottle holds about 25 oz, enough for roughly eight spritzes at 3 oz of Prosecco each. This recipe uses about half a bottle for four drinks, so buy two bottles for a party of eight and keep the second one cold. Aperol goes further, since 8 oz covers four drinks from a standard bottle.