If one thing is more refreshing than an Aperol Spritz it’s a Frozen Aperol Spritz. It’s the perfect summer drink—cold, fresh, not too boozy and incredibly versatile. Once you try this recipe as written, keep things interesting by adding different frozen fruits to the mix. Mango, strawberry and pineapple would all pair well with Aperol.
Ingredients Needed
- Orange Juice: grab a high-quality fresh orange juice from the refrigerated section for the best flavor.
- Aperol: the star of the show! Aperol is an Italian apéritif that’s low in alcohol content and bittersweet in flavor with notes of orange and rhubarb. Use leftover Aperol to make my Aperol Margarita!
- Prosecco: I like Prosecco here because it’s the type of sparkling wine usually used to make Aperol Spritz. It’s on the sweeter side, which is ideal for balancing out the bitterness of the Aperol.
- Sugar: just a dash of sugar is needed to round out the flavor. I use granulated sugar but you can also use agave syrup.
- Ice
How to Make a Frozen Aperol Spritz
Making frozen drinks at home is much easier than you may think. No specialty equipment needed, just a blender, some frozen juice and some ice.
- Freeze the Orange Juice
If you have the time / bandwidth to plan ahead, I highly recommend freezing orange juice into cubes (each cube should be ¾ ounce). The frozen juice replaces some of the ice cubes you’d need to make a thick frozen drink. Basically, you’re adding flavor and thickness without watering down the drink (I use this trick in my Frozen Piña Coladas too).
- Blend the Drink
Add the frozen orange juice cubes, ice cubes, Aperol, Prosecco and sugar to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled coupe glass, garnish with an orange and serve immediately.
Tips
- I don’t call for freezing the aperol, though you could freeze it in ice cubes instead of adding it at room temperature. This will keep the drink colder longer and will make for a slightly thicker frozen Aperol spritz.
Due to the alcohol content, the Aperol won’t freeze solid, but it will freeze enough to impact the thickness of the drink. - If you’re looking for more of a smoothie vibe, try adding some frozen mango chunks to the blender.
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Frozen Aperol Spritz
Description
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh orange juice
- 12 ounces Prosecco
- 8 ounces Aperol
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill ice cube tray with orange juice (¾ ounce per well) and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
For 1 Cocktail
- Add 2 frozen orange juice cubes, 2 ice cubes, 1½ ounces Prosecco, 1 ounce Aperol and ½ teaspoon sugar to a individual blender cup and blend until smooth.
For a Batch of 4 Cocktails
- Add 8 frozen orange juice cubes, 8 ice cubes, 6 ounces Prosecco, 4 ounces Aperol and 2 teaspoons sugar to a blender until smooth.
For a Batch of 8 Cocktails
- Add all frozen orange juice cubes (16 cubes), 16 ice cubes, 12 ounces Prosecco, 8 ounces Aperol and 4 teaspoons sugar to a blender until smooth.
- Pour cocktail(s) into chilled coupe glasses and garnish with an orange slice. Serve immediately.
