Aperol Spritz Cocktail

The Italian liqueur was developed by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri after they inherited a liqueur company from their father in 1912. The story says that it took them seven years to perfect the recipe and Aperol was officially released in 1919. Over the next few decades, it gained popularity in Italy. Apéritivos are part of Italian dinner traditions and the brand became known for fashionable and eye-catching marketing campaigns with poster artwork that rivaled Campari's iconic advertisements. The Aperol spritz was created in the 1950s and saw a revival in the early 2000s as drinkers worldwide rediscovered its captivating taste. Appropriately, the Aperol brand is owned today by the Campari Group.

Aperol is a unique distilled spirit that doesn't conveniently fit into a single category of liquor. The label calls it a liqueur, though it's not sweet like other orange liqueurs such as Cointreau and Grand Marnier. Instead, it follows the flavor profile of an apéritif—bitter, herbal, and dry. Adding to the confusion, the recipe for Aperol is a tightly guarded secret; officially, it's an infusion of oranges and "selected herbs and roots." Sweet and bitter oranges and rhubarb are known ingredients, and it may include gentian and cinchona as well. Whatever goes into it, the orange-colored liqueur has a zesty, bittersweet orange taste with herbal and woody accents. It's comparable to Campari but distinctly different; Aperol is citrus-forward, lighter in flavor, and not as bitter.