How to Make an Aperol Spritz: Official 3-2-1 Recipe

Summer terraces glow with the color of sunset whenever someone orders an Aperol Spritz. It’s become the shorthand for “I’m doing aperitivo properly” — bright, bitter-sweet, and refreshingly simple. The drink that started in Northern Italy has conquered bars from London to Sydney, yet most people are still guessing at the recipe. Here’s how to make it exactly right.

Classic Ratio: 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part soda · Standard Serve: Large wine glass with ice · Key Garnish: Orange slice · Origin Style: Italian aperitivo

Four ingredients, one ratio, zero complexity — that’s the appeal of the Aperol Spritz. The numbers below cover the essentials for a single serve.

These specifications translate directly to the 3-2-1 formula endorsed by both Aperol and the IBA.

What do you need for an Aperol Spritz?

The beauty of an Aperol Spritz lies in how few ingredients it demands. You need Prosecco, Aperol, soda water, and something to garnish — that’s genuinely it. No syrups, no fresh herbs, no obscure liqueurs. The official Aperol recipe calls for three components plus ice and a slice of orange.

Prosecco and Aperol basics

Prosecco makes up the bulk of the drink — three parts out of the total six. The Aperol brand recommends using D.O.C.-certified Prosecco for authenticity, though any dry sparkling wine works in a pinch. Aperol itself is a bitter liqueur made in Padua, Italy, with a distinctive sunset-orange color and bittersweet flavor profile. The Campari Group, which acquired Aperol in 2003, has since turned it into a global phenomenon.

Soda and ice essentials

Soda water adds the refreshing lightness that makes a Spritz genuinely refreshing rather than just a sweet wine cocktail. A splash — roughly one part in the 3-2-1 ratio — is all you need. Ice is non-negotiable: the drink should be served very cold over plenty of cubes in a large wine glass.

Garnish options

One slice of orange is the standard garnish, as specified by the Aperol Official Site. Some bartenders add a green olive in a nod to the original Venetian Spritz, but that’s more tradition than current practice. The orange serves both aesthetic and flavor purposes — it brightens the drink visually and adds a hint of citrus aroma.

For home bartenders, sourcing D.O.C. Prosecco ensures the Aperol’s bitter-sweet character doesn’t get lost in mediocre wine.

What is the 3-2-1 Aperol method?

The 3-2-1 ratio is the official formula endorsed by both Aperol and the International Bartenders Association. It’s easy to remember and scales perfectly whether you’re making one drink or a pitcher for a group. “3-2-1” means three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda water.

Breakdown of 3-2-1 rule

Breaking down the proportions: the 3 represents Prosecco as the base, 2 is Aperol providing the signature bitter-sweet flavor, and 1 is soda water for refreshment. The Tasting Table confirms this ratio as the original, unchanging formula that defined the modern Spritz movement.

Ml measurements for precision

For one serving, the Aperol US site specifies 90ml Prosecco, 60ml Aperol, and 30ml soda water. In imperial measurements, that’s approximately 3 ounces Prosecco, 2 ounces Aperol, and 1 ounce soda. Some recipes round these to whole numbers, but the 90-60-30 split is exact.

Official Aperol ratio

The official ratio translates to: 90ml Prosecco, 60ml Aperol, 30ml soda water per glass. The Campari Group has promoted this formula aggressively since acquiring Aperol, and the “3-2-1” campaign is credited with driving the brand’s explosive growth post-2003.

Party hosts can scale these proportions directly: 3 cups Prosecco, 2 cups Aperol, 1 cup soda fills an 8-cup pitcher perfectly.

How to make a perfect Aperol Spritz?

Now that you have the ingredients and ratio sorted, the technique is straightforward. The order of pouring matters slightly, and the ice is more important than most people realize.

Step-by-step build

Fill your large wine glass with plenty of ice cubes — the glass should be cold to the touch and the ice should reach near the rim. Add the Prosecco first, then the Aperol, then the soda water. The official preparation guide confirms this order is intentional: starting with the wine preserves more of its bubbles. Stir once gently with a bar spoon to combine without losing carbonation.

Glass and ice technique

A large wine glass — not a cocktail glass, not a tumbler — is the correct vessel. The wide bowl lets the aromas open up while the ice keeps everything cold. Some sources recommend adding ice last rather than first to preserve bubbles longer, though the difference is marginal for most palates.

Stir or drop method

A gentle stir is standard. You want the Prosecco and Aperol to marry without aggressive agitation that releases CO2 too quickly. One or two slow circles with a bar spoon is sufficient. The drink should look slightly layered at first, then homogenize as you stir.

This timing constraint matters most when serving a group — pre-mixing the pitcher means each guest gets diluted drinks unless you refresh the ice glass-by-glass.

What is the best mix for Aperol?

Beyond the basic recipe, a few refinements separate a good Aperol Spritz from a memorable one. These aren’t required, but they help.

Pro tips from recipes

Chill all ingredients before making the drink — the Prosecco especially. Use plenty of ice rather than a few cubes. Ashley Miller Daniels notes that the vibrant sunset-orange color indicates you’ve got the ratio right; too pale means too much Prosecco or soda, too dark suggests too much Aperol. A gentle stir after adding each ingredient — rather than one big stir at the end — helps maintain the layered look.

UK variations

In the UK, some bars substitute English sparkling wine for Prosecco with good results, according to bartender reports. The key is finding something with enough acidity and bubbles to stand up to the Aperol. British sparkling wines from Sussex have gained recognition for this purpose.

Common mistakes

The most frequent errors: using warm ingredients, underfilling the ice, pouring Aperol before Prosecco, and skipping the soda entirely “because it dilutes the flavor.” The soda isn’t optional — it provides essential refreshment and balances the sweetness. Jeffrey Morgenthaler, an experienced bartender, notes that some prefer less Aperol than the official recipe calls for, finding the full 3-2-1 ratio too aggressive. For a refreshing twist, consider this Рецепт морозива з манго.

The 3-2-1 formula’s simplicity is also its weakness: the result lives or dies by ingredient quality, particularly the Prosecco.

How to make Aperol Spritz without prosecco?

Can’t find Prosecco, or prefer to skip the alcohol? The Aperol Spritz adapts reasonably well to substitutions, though the character shifts noticeably.

Non-alcoholic swaps

For a non-alcoholic version, substitute sparkling water or sparkling grape juice for the Prosecco. Aperol itself is the trickier component — there’s no direct non-alcoholic equivalent that captures both the bitter and sweet notes simultaneously. Always Use Butter confirms a non-alcoholic version is possible but changes the drink’s essence significantly.

Other sparkling options

Champagne, Crémant, Cava, or any other dry sparkling wine works in place of Prosecco. The flavor profile shifts slightly — Champagne adds buttery notes, Cava tends toward green apple — but the ratio remains unchanged. For a lower-alcohol version, mix sparkling wine half-and-half with soda, then adjust Aperol proportionally.

Calorie and ABV notes

A standard 3-2-1 Aperol Spritz comes in at approximately 10% alcohol by volume according to Always Use Butter, though exact ABV depends on the Prosecco’s strength. Calorie counts vary by brand but expect roughly 150-180 calories per serve. Swapping soda for Prosecco drops both numbers significantly.

Drinkers watching ABV should note that even a “lighter” Spritz with half sparkling wine still delivers meaningful alcohol — the soda dilutes volume, not potency.

Aperol Spritz in context

The Spritz wasn’t always an Aperol vehicle. The original Venetian Spritz used Select, another bitter liqueur, and was made with still wine before Prosecco became widespread in the 1970s. Wikipedia documents how the original recipe called for 7.5cl Prosecco, 5cl Select, 2.5cl soda, and a green olive. When Campari Group acquired Aperol in 2003, they repositioned it aggressively, launching the 3-2-1 campaign that transformed both the brand and the spritz category globally.

“This timeless Aperol Spritz ratio means 3 parts of Prosecco, 2 parts of Aperol, and 1 part of soda water.”

— Aperol Official Site

“The easy-to-remember formula is 3-2-1, a convenient ratio of 3 parts Prosecco to 2 parts Aperol and 1 part soda water.”

— Tasting Table

“This ‘official’ recipe gave way to the wildly successful ‘3-2-1’ campaign that can be directly contributed to Aperol’s success today.”

— Provi beverage industry blog

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