If you have traveled outside Ukraine this summer, you could not miss the Aperol Spritz epidemic that is conquering the drinking world. This bold, bright orange aperitif can be spotted on tables anywhere from Venice to Oslo, and it is also catching on in Kyiv.
It is now served in dozens of Kyiv cafes, at prices ranging from about Hr 35 to 120. But, as often happens, here the bar tenders have their own twist on the cocktail.
Aperol Spritz owes its color (and a good deal of taste) to Aperol, a liquor produced in the Veneto region of Italy. It takes 30 ingredients to achieve its memorable bittersweet flavor, and these include bitter orange, cinchona and rhubarb. The drink has a relatively low alcohol content — 11 percent, which is comparable to wine.
The origin of Aperol Spritz goes back to the early 20th century, according to the drink’s website. It was originally created in 1919, when it was presented at an international fair.
Spritz, which is a combination of wine and soda, has been known in Europe for much longer that that. Austrian soldiers based in the province of Veneto during World War I diluted wine with soda water and named the cocktail spritz — ‘splash’ or ‘sparkling’ in German – according to local legend.
Aperol Spritz traditionally is a mixture of Prosecco, a sparkling white wine, Aperol, a splash of soda and a slice of orange. Since it’s a summer cocktail, it is served with plenty of ice and occasionally with an olive.
In Ukraine, it’s still only gaining popularity and has become the highlight (in every sense) of summer menus in many cafes. “I first tried Aperol Spritz one sunny morning in Venice. Then I drank it several times in Kyiv, but the cocktail seemed to be more bitter in Italy,” Kyivan Olga Shylenko says.
This seems to be the general rule in Kyiv: the local version of the cocktail is less bitter — possibly because less Aperol is used than in Europe.
The ingredients for Aperol Spritz are usually the same everywhere, but sometimes bars here take special liberties with the recipe. For example, Chashka espresso bar, located across the road from Bessarabsky Rynok, right next to Pinchuk Art Center, serves the cocktail in half-liter wine glasses for Hr 59.
However, the risk of getting too drunk is not that high since half of it is ice. In Yolk diner, located across from Shevchenko Park, Brut sparkling wine is used instead of Prosecco. Here, the cocktail costs Hr 45.
If you want to make the authentic version at home, there is nothing easier. Big wine supermarkets such as GoodWine and Polyana stock Aperol. A liter bottle goes for about Hr 139-157 ($18-19). Prosecco is available for about Hr 100 per bottle.
Then add a splash of soda, a slice of orange, and say, “Cin cin!”
Kyiv Post staff writer Kateryna Kapliuk can be reached at [email protected]
