Aperol Spritz flows from the counters of New York City’s most magical places this summer, from the terrace of the Independent Art Fair in Tribeca to the new flamingo-themed bakery on the Brooklyn block.
In Singapore, you can go on an Aperol Spritz pub crawl, and in Paris, it’s already a standard alongside the local pastis and kir.
Aperitif (Italians’ favorite pre-dinner drink) is the new happy hour. However, the current popularity of the Aperol Spritz baffles Venetians.
How did a drink that 20 years ago could only be accessible in the humble osterias (taverns) and cheap local bars of our region captivate the world?
Jump to
- Drinking up the sun: here’s why Aperol Spritz is a must-have summer drink
- When did Aperol become popular?
- Venetian summer in a song
- Aperol Spritz Recipe
Drinking up the sun: here’s why Aperol Spritz is a must-have summer drink
Credit: Canva
The Venetian aperitif was recently voted Italy’s favorite pre-dinner drink and is prepared in about three minutes with half a glass of prosecco, a third glass of bitters, ice cubes and a splash of mineral water, added in that order. so that the bubbles bubble naturally and garnish with a large, juicy olive or a slice of orange.
It has become so popular that Italian minister Eugenia Roccella blamed it for the country’s demographic crisis, claiming that young couples now have to choose between “drinking spritz and having children.”
It has become so popular in the United States that Star Wars actress Zendaya, among others, wears Aperol Spritz nail polish inspired by the drink’s sunny orange hue.
The original spritz, on the other hand, was not orange.
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Its origins date back to the 19th century, when Austria invaded Venice in 1797 and dominated it for decades. The Austrians had little love for the heavy Venetian wine, Malvasia, and brought their tradition of “Spritzen”, which involved adding a splash of sparkling water to a glass of white wine.
The idea of using prosecco instead of wine and mixing it with a bitter liqueur came much later, when the Venetians decided that watered down wine was too light and started adding Aperol, Select, Campari or Cynar (in order of sweetest to weakest). bitter). ), according to Giuseppe Zanon, bartender and co-owner of the historic café Al Mercà (Campo Bella Vienna, 213) next to the Rialto Bridge.
When did the Aperol become popular?
Aperol, the world’s most popular spritz liqueur, was produced in 1919 in the neighboring city of Padua by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri after seven years of research at their father’s distillery, macerating sour orange peels, gentian root, rhubarb and spices.
Credit: RossHelen
Due to its low alcohol content (11%), it was first sold to fit drinkers in the 1920s and to women in the 1930s with the phrase “Signora! Aperol keeps you slim.”
In the 1980s, it was very cheap and highly appreciated by the regulars of all the bars in Veneto, forming a kind of spritz archipelago in the Po Valley, with Padua, Venice, Treviso and Vicenza each continuing the tradition. with your own touch. different recipe.
“The Aperol Spritz was the drink of old salts and old drunks, those at the bar who (I say this with the deepest affection) cursed every three words,” explained Roberto Pasini, author of the 2013 pamphlet A Guide to the Spritz.
It was served in sturdy stone glasses “that were indestructible and could be thrown against the counter of the osteria.”
However, the old troublemakers weren’t the only ones who saw the appeal of this cheap and cheerful drink.
Credit: Monty Rakusen
In the late 1990s, Padua’s medieval piazzas and cobbled alleyways of its former ghetto were packed with raucous students sipping Aperol or Campari spritzes from Styrofoam cups with their friends every Friday night.
It was an excuse to meet people and stay up late, and the olive garnish often served as a substitute for dinner.
Venetian summer in a song
Sir Oliver Skardy, who I can only describe as our Venetian Bob Marley, described the osteria as a “true oasis” in the sweltering heat of the Venetian summer in his song Fame un Spritz (Make me a Spritz), where students and grandparents alike would play to cards, they would dine, drink and have fun together.
Campari bought Aperol in 2003 to ensure dominance of the Venetian market.
He also introduced this regional aperitif to a few select bars in Milan and, in a stroke of design genius, began serving it in a tall, luscious globe-shaped glass instead of the Osteria’s stone glass.
Image credit: kkshepel
Aperol Spritz Recipe
Step 1: Fill a glass with two ice cubes and a slice of orange.
Step 2 – Pour the prosecco over the ice.
Step 3: Add the Aperol and a splash of sparkling water, preferably a bar spray, but any sparkling water will do (never use sugary soda).
Step 4: Finish with a pitted olive and an orange slice as a garnish.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn