12 Aperol Cocktails for a Glowing Happy Hour
When the warm weather hits, so do daydreams of Aperol cocktails to sip throughout the spring and summer. This sweet then bitter orange amaro is one you’ll find in many cocktails, from the well-loved, low-alcohol spritz to boozy tiki drinks. Aperol is considered by many to be the slightly sweeter cousin to Campari. And while these drink recipes will quench your thirst on a sweltering day, all are equally welcome on a chilly winter night, to transport you to an afternoon under the Italian sun.
Once you’ve developed a taste for Aperol cocktails, consider the wide array of other Italian amaros to swap in and out as you please. The reliable Aperol Mist would dazzle with the more complex Cappelletti amaro. Or the Aperol-Grapefruit Spritz which would go down just as easily with Averna and orange juice. But for now: Here are our 12 favorite Aperol cocktails.
Laura Murray1/12Rosé-Aperol Spritz
This effervescent spritz is far from basic. Sparkling rosé takes the place of standard prosecco, while passion fruit and lime juices keep the party alive. This batched Aperol cocktail is meant to be shared.
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski2/12Aperol Spritz
A classic Aperol spritz doesn’t need a reason. Make a few for friends when you host happy hour, or one for yourself on a Tuesday when adulting gets a little too hard.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Drew Aichele, Prop Styling by Christina Allen3/12Paper Plane Cocktail
The Paper Plane is a member of the new generation of classic cocktails. What’s more, this bourbon-based blend is an equal-parts drink, making it easy enough to memorize by heart.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime4/12Peach-Aperol Spritz
What is a spritz if not just a bubblier sangria? This peachy cocktail gets an extra hit of bitterness from Averna amaro to help round out the sweetness. (Nectarines work great too.)
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime5/12Aperol-Kombucha Spritz
6/12Intro to Aperol
This gin cocktail uses more Aperol than most, lending a bitter edge to an otherwise quaffable bevvy.
Danny Kim7/12Aperol Mist
Making a shandy is the perfect way to turn a standard lager into a cocktail you’ll be sipping all summer long.
9/12Raspberry and Aperol Floats
This Aperol concoction is more dessert than cocktail. Swoon. Build this fruity float in tall glasses and serve to friends after a summer barbecue.
Kristen Kilpatrick11/12Bird of Paradise
Aperol and rum are a match made in…paradise? This cocktail is a play on the classic drink, the Jungle Bird, which employs Aperol instead of the less-sweet Campari.
