What Is Aperol? – Aperol History, Flavor, And Recipes

Aperol spritzes have been having a moment for several years. While much of the appeal comes from the drink’s light, refreshing flavor, their vibrant orange hue is arguably what draws people in the most. We can thank the titular spirit for that bright and exciting color. But Aperol is also a pretty polarizing liqueur, especially among American drinkers.

Fans describe Aperol as citrusy, herbal, and bittersweet. Haters (including some of the Delish staff) compare the flavor to cough syrup. But if you’ve only been recently exposed to Aperol, it’s hard to nail down exactly what you’re sipping. What is it made of, exactly? What is it supposed to taste like? And why is it such a bright orange?

We’re here to answer all of those questions and more. Here is everything you need to know about Aperol, from its history to the best ways to drink it.

What Is Aperol?

Aperol is a botanical liqueur that’s been made in Italy for over a hundred years. The bright orange beverage was invented by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri in 1919 in Padua, Italy. It’s technically considered a type of amaro, which is categorized by its bitterness (the word amaro itself translates to bitter). And if you want to get even more granular, Aperol is also an aperitivo. That means that it’s intended to be consumed before a meal as an appetite stimulant.

These types of bittersweet liqueurs historically had a practical purpose as digestive aids. So each brand has a proprietary and often top-secret recipe using medicinal herbs and roots. But as time passed, people started enjoying amaro more for the flavor than for the health benefits. And now across the world, but especially in Italy, consuming bittersweet liqueurs before and after meals is a long-standing cultural ritual.

Traditionally, these types of beverages were made in small batches and distributed locally and regionally. But as the demand for amari grew and industrial technology improved, certain brands established themselves as household names. One of the most widely recognized is Aperol.

What Does Aperol Taste Like?

Like with most amaro brands, the recipe for Aperol is kept under lock and key. But we do know that it’s made with gentian root, rhubarb, and cinchona bark. Most of these aren’t exactly American pantry staples, so we’re going to break them down.

Gentian root is a botanical commonly used to flavor spirits. At first sip, some may just write it off as bitter. But it’s renowned for its nuance and complexity. It’s bitter, yes, but it’s also earthy, floral, and vegetal. And compared to the other intensely bitter and rich botanicals used in other types of amaro, gentian is generally milder and more palatable.

Rhubarb is the ingredient that people recognize the most. You may enjoy eating rhubarb in desserts. But if you’ve ever cooked with it before, you probably know that rhubarb tastes very different in its raw form. It’s very tart and slightly bitter, which are the flavors that are infused into Aperol. But don’t worry, there’s enough sugar in the spirit to balance it out.

Cinchona may be an unfamiliar to you, but the flavor is more recognizable than you’d think. This tree is native to South America near the Andes mountains, and its bark is a natural source of quinine. It’s been used to make tonic water for centuries and gives the popular mixer its signature bitterness.

And even though we don’t know the secret recipe, it’s safe to say that orange plays a major role in the Aperol recipe. We don’t know why it’s tinted this way, but its citrus-forward flavor is probably a safe bet. We would say it more closely resembles orange peel (including the bitter pith) than the carton of orange juice in your fridge.

Is Aperol The Same As Campari?

Aperol and Campari are extremely popular Italian spirits. Both have reddish tints, and are even owned by the same manufacturer. But that does not mean they’re the same. Campari actually predates Aperol by nearly 60 years and was invented near Milan, over 150 miles away from Padua.

You can find many of the same botanicals in both recipes, like rhubarb and orange. But Campari leans much more in the bitter direction than Aperol does. While there still is sugar in the recipe, it’s significantly less sweet than Aperol. It’s also a much higher proof. Campari clocks it anywhere between 20.5 and 25.8% alcohol, while Aperol is less than half at just 11%.

How Do You Drink Aperol?

In theory, you could drink Aperol straight up; but if we’re being honest, we wouldn’t recommend it. People unaccustomed to bittersweet liqueurs will find the flavor far too intense to enjoy on its own. And people enthusiastic enough about amaro to drink it neat typically find Aperol to be too sweet.

The easiest way to introduce yourself to Aperol is drinking it in spritz form, naturally. The soda water and Prosecco offset the bitterness of Aperol just enough so it goes down more easily while not hiding its unique flavor profile. The key is to nail the right ratio between the three ingredients. We might be biased, but we think our recipe is spot on.

The Aperol spritz is the most popular recipe featuring the orange tinted aperitivo, but it’s also being wholeheartedly embraced in the modern cocktail scene. You can find Aperol making an appearance in craft cocktails all over the country.

One of our favorites is the Paper Plane, which combines equal amounts of bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino Quintessentia, and lemon juice for a perfectly balanced beverage. Another more casual cocktail is the Spaghett, a type of shandy that you make with Miller High Life, Aperol, and lemon juice (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it).

Aperol is also just a great flavoring to keep on hand in your home bar in general. Because of its high sugar content, it’s a great way to balance the astringency of higher proof base spirits. Want to jazz up a Cadillac margarita? Swap out the Grand Marnier or Cointreau for Aperol. If you want your tequila sunrise to be even boozier, reach for Aperol instead of grenadine. Pretty much any citrus-forward cocktail will benefit from a splash of the bright orange liqueur.