The Aperol Spritz Cocktail: A Delicious and Healthy Drink for the Holidays

By Kelly Eggers | November 22, 2022

What comes to mind when you think of the most popular alcoholic holiday drinks?

Some might leap to eggnog, hot-buttered rum, Champagne, or even mimosas and a hot toddy.

Others can’t resist Baileys Irish Cream or a cranberry orange margarita. But don’t sleep on the deliciousness of a good holiday cocktail — specifically, the Aperol Spritz Cocktail.

The Aperol spritz is a bright and punchy cocktail known for a not-too-sweet orange or citrus flavor, and it has long been one of the most popular apéritifs (light drinks you have before dinner) in Italy.

Even better news – this delicious stage-setter can be replicated anywhere, whether you’re planning a big Thanksgiving dinner or gearing up to host a few friends on New Year’s Eve.

The Aperol Spritz Recipe is as easy as 1-2-3:

Ingredients

3 oz Prosecco

2 oz Aperol

1 oz Soda water

Garnish: Orange wheel

Steps

1. Add all ingredients into a wine glass with ice and stir.

2. Garnish with an orange wheel

Aperol Spritz during the holidays is also good for you!

When it comes to eating a good meal, most Texans prefer to get right down to it. But there are plenty of reasons why we should start with a drink that is both delicious and healthy.

So grab yourself an Aperol and toast to these four health benefits:

1. It stimulates your appetite

Rather than sipping on a martini or an old-fashioned bottle of beer while waiting on your meal, a good apéritif (from the Latin word aperire, which means to open) literally opens the stomach, settles it, and prepares your digestive tract. This is important because, as much as we all love to gorge and eat whatever we want, sometimes our body doesn’t react the way we want it to. Having an Aperol spritz first does wonders. Don’t believe us? Give it a try.

2. Helps you relax

To piggyback off the first benefit, Americans tend to speed through our meals with hurried intentions. A few sips of an Aperol spritz with friends and family has a calming effect and helps slow the pace of dinner as we wait for our meal. Not doing so leads to overeating and various stomach issues, such as bloating and upset stomach. Even when the meal has arrived, we are less apt to hurry through.

3. Apéritifs enhance the flavor of a meal

Not only does an Aperol spritz whet the palate, but combining it with a meal helps you savor every bit of seasoning, every bit of flavor, and every last bite of your meal. The trick is knowing which apéritif should be combined with each meal. The website everydayhealth.com has a great article that goes into more detail.

4. It’s lower in calories

Many pre, post, and during-meal beverages have excess sugar, calories, and higher alcoholic counts. The Aperol spritz only has three ounces of Prosecco and two ounces of Aperol to go with one ounce of soda water, among other ingredients. According to image.ie, 35ml Aperol sets you back 85 calories, while a 60ml splash of Prosecco is around 40 calories. Soda water, of course, is all zero calories. That’s a delicious drink that is only 125 calories.

So, consider an Aperol Spritz if you’ve never tried apéritifs before or are looking for something light and punchy to add to your alcoholic beverage collection this holiday season.