Drink of the Week: Aperol Spritz

Let’s celebrate! Blake and I have a had a wonderful trip to Africa, complete with an incredible safari. Time to toast 15 years of marriage and a great fundraising effort ($6,895 raised for Renfrew Educational Services so far) with an Aperol Spritz.

It’s a beautiful colour and tastes great.

Aperol is an “it” aperitif, a sweet-bitter orange Italian liqueur popular as the “poor man’s” version of Campari (it tastes similar but contains half the alcohol content, at 11 percent). A great way to drink it is in a spritz, using Prosecco (the poor man’s Champagne) as the base. (Notice a trend here? Yup, Africa is expensive.)

Don’t you just want to dive right in?

This drink certainly feels, well, extravagant, and it tastes good too. It’s a perfect end to an amazing holiday. As they say in Swahili, maisha marefu (cheers)!

Aperol Spritz

• 1.5 oz Aperol
• 2 oz Prosecco
• Ice cubes
• Splash soda water
• Orange wheel garnish

Build in a wine glass over ice and garnish with an orange wheel.