This winter Aperol spritz is the perfect cocktail for the holiday season. It's as refreshing as the original, but with a festive spin. We replaced the traditional soda water with cranberry juice and garnished with fresh cranberries, an orange twist, and rosemary.
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What is An Aperol Spritz?
Aperol is an Italian aperitif, traditionally served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. It has a bittersweet citrus flavor that people tend to love or hate.
An Aperol spritz is an Italian cocktail consisting of Aperol, Prosecco (a type of sparkling wine), and soda water. It's a refreshing drink that's usually associated with summer. To make this more suitable for winter, we replaced the club soda with a splash of cranberry juice cocktail.
Why We Love This Cocktail
It's easy: This winter Aperol spritz doesn't even require a cocktail shaker. Just throw the 3 ingredients together in a wine glass, stir, and serve (garnishes optional)!
It's refreshing AND festive: Sometimes winter cocktails feel a little heavier than summer ones. I have nothing against rich winter flavors, but this winter Aperol spritz manages to feel festive, yet still light and refreshing.
Looking for other festive cocktails? Try our holiday party sangria, pomegranate margarita, pear gin cocktail, or apple cider old fashioned.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Prosecco: Choose a dry prosecco like brut.
Cranberry juice cocktail: Make sure you get cranberry juice cocktail, not 100% cranberry juice. We love 100% juice, but not for this recipe—the sweetness in the juice cocktail pairs well with the somewhat bitter Aperol and the dry prosecco.
Aperol: You can buy Aperol at most liquor stores.
Optional garnishes: An orange, rosemary sprigs, and fresh cranberries
See recipe card for amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add ice to a wine glass. Pour in the prosecco, Aperol, and cranberry juice and stir to combine.
Step 2: Garnish with an orange slice or orange twist (see tutorial here on how to make your own orange twist), fresh cranberries, and a sprig of rosemary. Serve!
Food Pairing Ideas
Because Aperol Spritzes are traditionally served before dinner, they're usually accompanied with pre-dinner snacks. Try serving yours with a few of our favorite appetizers:
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Just add a splash of soda water to the top. We like ours without it, but the soda water would make this more similar to the traditional version.
Yes. Any dry sparkling white wine works well in this recipe. Prosecco is just the most traditional choice.
Serve this winter aperol spritz with a light appetizer before dinner.
📖 Recipe
Winter Aperol Spritz
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
This winter Aperol spritz is the perfect cocktail for the holiday season. It's as refreshing as the original, but with a festive spin. We replaced the traditional soda water with cranberry juice and garnished with fresh cranberries, an orange twist, and rosemary.
Ingredients
3 ounces dry prosecco
2 ounces Aperol
2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
Optional Garnishes
Fresh rosemary
1 orange
Fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Add ice to a wine glass. Pour in the prosecco, Aperol, and cranberry juice and stir to combine.
- Garnish with an orange slice or orange twist (see tutorial here on how to make your own orange twist), fresh cranberries, and a sprig of rosemary. Serve!
Notes
Any dry sparkling wine will work in this recipe.
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 24.3 g
- Sodium: 6.2 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Michael says
Love this drink and it's so easy to make!
Ronda M. says
Such a delicious and easy recipe!
Brian says
This was a hit at our family Christmas dinner!
Sharie says
Love this!