The Aperol Spritz: How to Make Summer 2026's Easiest Cocktail (and the Bottles You Need for It)
There is no more recognizable drink of summer than the Aperol Spritz — that glowing orange glass, the orange wheel, the fizz. It is the world’s favorite aperitivo, and it happens to be one of the easiest cocktails you will ever build: three ingredients, no shaker, no technique to fumble. If July has you hosting on a patio, this is the drink to have on repeat.
It is also nearly impossible to get wrong, which is exactly why so many people make it slightly off. The fixes are small and the payoff is large. Here is the classic recipe, the two bottles that actually matter, four ways to riff on it, and — for the nights you cannot be bothered — the pre-mixed shortcut.
The 6 bottles for spritz season
What “aperitivo” actually means
The spritz belongs to a very Italian ritual: the aperitivo, the pre-dinner hour when a light, bitter, low-proof drink is meant to wake up your appetite rather than dull it. That is the whole design of the Aperol Spritz — refreshing, gently bitter and only mildly alcoholic, built to be sipped slowly before a meal. Serve it with olives, chips, salted nuts or cured meats and you have recreated a Venetian evening on your own patio. Understanding that intent is the secret to making a good one: you are not building a strong cocktail, you are building an easy, appetizing one.
The 3-2-1 recipe (memorize this and you are done)
The original Aperol Spritz is a ratio, not a measurement, and the ratio is 3-2-1: three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda water. In a large wine glass or balloon glass, that is 3 oz Prosecco, 2 oz Aperol Aperitivo ($33.99), and a splash — about 1 oz — of soda. Two details separate a great spritz from a flat one. First, build it over ice in the glass and add the Prosecco last, so you keep the bubbles lively. Second, the orange slice is not a garnish, it is an ingredient — its oils are half the aroma. Give it a gentle squeeze before it goes in.
The two bottles that matter
Because there are so few ingredients, the two you use carry the whole drink. For the bitter-orange backbone, Aperol is the original and still the best value — lower proof, gently bitter, unmistakably orange. For the wine, reach for La Marca Prosecco ($17.99): a crisp, off-dry Prosecco that is one of the best pours-per-dollar in the store and an ideal match for a spritz. Do not use Champagne here — its yeasty, drier profile fights the Aperol, and you would be wasting good fizz. If you want the full breakdown of why Prosecco is the right sparkling wine for this job, our Champagne vs. Prosecco vs. Cava guide lays it out.
Four ways to riff on it
The Campari Spritz — swap the Aperol for Campari Aperitivo Liqueur ($39.99) for a drier, more bracingly bitter drink; this is the spritz for people who think the Aperol version is too sweet, and it is a short hop from here to a Negroni. The Rosé Spritz — build it with La Marca Rose Prosecco ($18.99) instead of white for a pink, berry-tinged version that photographs as well as it drinks. Dial it up or down — more soda for a longer, lower-proof afternoon sipper; a heavier hand on the Aperol for a richer, bittersweet one. Any of these lives happily in our cordials & liqueurs and sparkling wine aisles.
The glass, the ice, and the garnish
Use a big glass — a large wine glass or a proper balloon glass — and fill it generously with ice. Counterintuitively, more ice keeps the drink colder and melts slower, so it stays crisp instead of watering down. A skimpy handful of ice in a small glass is the most common way a spritz goes warm and flat. Finish with a full orange slice, not a stingy twist; you want that citrus oil right under your nose with every sip.
Three mistakes to avoid
First, do not over-pour the Aperol — more is not better, and a spritz that is too sweet is the number-one complaint. Stick to the 3-2-1. Second, do not use flat Prosecco; open it fresh, because the bubbles are the drink. Third, do not skip the soda — that final splash lengthens the spritz and keeps it from feeling syrupy. Get those three right and you will out-pour most bars in town.
Batching for a party
A spritz has no perishable ingredient, so it batches beautifully. Mix the Aperol and Prosecco in a pitcher at the 2-to-3 ratio, keep it cold, and top each glass with soda and ice to order so nothing goes flat. One 750mL bottle of Aperol makes roughly a dozen drinks; one bottle of Prosecco covers about six pours, so buy Prosecco two-to-one against the Aperol. If you are building a summer bar around drinks like this, our 12-bottle home bar guide is the blueprint.
No time? The spritz is now pre-mixed
Some nights you just want the drink in your hand. The single-serve Aperol Spritz 200ML Single ($5.99) and the Aperol Spritz 4-pack ($19.99) are the real thing, pre-batched and ready to pour over ice — ideal for the pool, the boat, or a picnic where a Prosecco bottle is a hassle. They live in our ready-to-drink collection alongside the rest of the grab-and-go lineup.
Pour one this weekend
The Aperol Spritz is the drink that turns any afternoon into something. Grab a bottle of Aperol and a bottle of La Marca from our wine collection, or skip straight to the best sellers if you want what everyone else is drinking. Cin cin.
