May 25-Aperol Spritz

Behind only the mimosa, the Aperol SPritz is one of the most famous and popular brunch cocktails in the world. It’s also one of the most balanced and satisfying. It’s also the perfect cocktail for a hot summer’s day which was perfect down here in FL. My judge even asked why I didn’t serve this one to her while she was in the pool. And this cocktail has an interesting history for European history buffs.

The Aperol Spritz, also known as the “Spriss” in Italy, gets its name from the German word Spritzen meaning spray or splash. This is a reference to the bubbles in the Prosecco typically used in the cocktail. The other main ingredients are Soda water and Aperol itself. It has a 1-2-3 ratio of soda-Aperol-wine. All of these are pretty light on their own and together they are just damn refreshing.

Fun fact is that the Spritz was made in Venice when it was still a part of the Austrian empire when the soldiers would dilute the sparkling wine with soda to make it more similar in ABV to the beers they had at home. Another fun fact is that the movie Meet the Parents starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro l;aunched this cocktail’s popularity into the Stratosphere when Robert De Niro’s character was offered a spritsz instead of the usual Tom Collins.

Full judging here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KrHRVPqDsOfvTSB_FoG_iRJ6K_T7V9i8GhNpSAxgAlw/edit?tab=t.0 .