Love Aperol? Go beyond the Spritz with these vibrant Bourbon Aperol Cocktails. A splash of Prosecco keeps these drinks light and refreshing.
Changing seasons mean shaking up our cocktail routine. We gravitate to richer, more robust flavors. But that doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye to summer favorites entirely.
Add some seasonality to your favorite Aperol drink with this recipe for Bourbon Aperol Cocktails. The bourbon lends a bit of heft to what would otherwise be a lighter cocktail made from tangy Aperol, bubby Prosecco and a splash of simple syrup - a perfect meld of flavors to match the change in the seasons.
Ingredients
No hard-to-find ingredients here!
Instructions
Making these cocktails couldn’t be easier:
1. Fill a lowball glass with ice. Add bourbon.
2. Pour in Aperol.
3. Add simple syrup to the glass.
4. Squeeze orange wedge into glass.
5. Top with Prosecco.
6. Gently stir to combine. Garnish with an optional orange rind twist, if desired.
Tip: Only making one or two drinks? Grab the mini bottles of Prosecco from the liquor store. They typically come in packs of three and are great to have on hand when your cocktail calls for a splash of bubbles but you don’t want to open a big bottle of Prosecco for just a few drinks.
FAQs
Aperol is an bright orange-hued Italian aperitif. Its low alcohol content (11%) makes it the perfect sipper to help stimulate the appetite before a meal.
Most people don’t drink Aperol straight up because of its unique flavor (think slightly sour orange, tart rhubarb and a bit of herbs all mixed together). Instead Aperol is mostly used in combination with wines and/or spirits in cocktails so you get just a hint of the mandarin flavor in harmony with other ingredients.
My go-to answer to this question is always, “whatever you like”. I used a “fruitier” bourbon (Four Roses) to complement the orange wedge and orange twist but feel free to experiment and find what works for you.
More Aperol cocktails
- The most popular cocktail to make with Aperol is an Aperol Spritz. This drink has only three ingredients - Prosecco, Aperol and a hint of sparkling water.
- Aperol’s low alcohol content also makes it a good mixer with gin, too, like in our popular Aperol Drink with Gin.
- These Grapefruit Aperol Cocktails were made for margarita lovers. If you're a tequila fan, this Aperol drink is for you!
Find all of tasty cocktail recipes in our archives.
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Recipe
Bourbon Aperol Cocktails
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce Aperol
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Orange wedge
- 3 ounces Prosecco
Instructions
- Place bourbon, Aperol and simple syrup in a lowball glass filled with ice.
- Squeeze and drop orange wedge into glass. Top with Prosecco. Stir gently to combine.
- Garnish with orange twist, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
A spritz isn’t the only Aperol drink in town. These easy Bourbon Aperol Cocktails with Prosecco are vibrant & refreshing - the perfect fall cocktail!
Can simple syrup go bad? I've got some left in the refrigerator for well over a year.
Hi Steve, I'm no food safety expert, but I think you might want to start with a fresh batch of simple syrup for your next round of cocktails. It may not be visible, but bacteria can grow in even a cold environment like a fridge.
Simple syrup is added to many cocktails to balance the flavours- sweeten it up a bit. Having to stir the cocktail to dissolve the sugar can be time consuming during high peak business hours. Therefore making a simple syrup (equal parts hot water and sugar) to add to cocktails is a time saver. You can also experiment with making simple syrups to add a little more depth and character to classic cocktails.
I like to make a Demerara (brown sugar) syrup and use it in my old fashions along with a gentle mist of lagavulin scotch 🙂
Why do so many cocktails include simple syrup. I find it annoying to have to add sugar to things in general.