Drinks Cocktails It's Not the End of Summer When You're Drinking an Apple Cider Aperol Spritz 5.0 (1) 1 Review Once you try apple cider and Aperol together, you'll wonder why the combination isn't more common. By Evie Negri-Albert Published on September 11, 2023 Rate Print Share Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Liberty Fennell Prep Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins One of my favorite things about fall is heading to the farmers market and checking out all of the beautiful apples that are in harvest! I love making homemade apple cider — it’s totally worth it and so versatile that you can use it in many cocktails, especially a spritz! — Evie Negri-Albert, @drinksbyevie Frequently asked questions What is the difference between Champagne and Prosecco? Only sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of France can be labeled as Champagne. Prosecco, on the other hand, hails from Northeastern Italy (specifically the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions, and is produced from the Glera grape variety. Here's a guide to the 10 best bottles of Prosecco to use in your next cocktail, including the Apple Cider Spritz. What is the difference between Aperol and Campari? Although both Campari and Aperol are owned by the Campari group, these two liqueurs are not the same. The key ingredient to cocktails like the Americano, Boulevardier, and TikTok’s favorite Negroni Sbagliato, Campari is beloved for its bright red color and bittersweet flavor. Aperol is made much like Campari, but unlike its deep red counterpart, the ingredients for this orange-hued liqueur are slightly better-known. Aperol’s key ingredients include bitter rhubarb, vegetal gentian root, and cinchona, a tree bark which gives tonic water its characteristic bitterness. Notes From the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Evie's homemade apple cider recipe is aromatic and delicious, both for enjoying on its own, as well as for using in this spritz. When straining the cider after simmering, you can use a damp coffee filter over the fine mesh sieve — this will help you achieve a velvety, smooth texture. That said, feel free to reach for a store bought apple cider when making this cocktail in larger quantities, or when you're under more of a time crunch. Here are a few other ways we love enjoying spiked apple cider. — Oset Babür-Winter Ingredients Evie's Homemade Apple Cider 8-10 apples of your choice 1/2 orange 1/2 cup brown sugar 6 allspice berries 8 cloves 1 pod star anise 1 cinnamon stick 1 pod nutmeg 6 cardamom pods 8-10 cups water (1 cup for every apple used) Apple Cider Spritz 1 1/2 ounces apple cider (homemade or store-bought) 1 ounce Aperol 3 ounces Prosecco 1 1/2 ounces soda water 1 apple slice (for garnish) 1 pod star anise (for garnish) Directions Make apple cider (if using homemade) Wash, de-core, and quarter your apples and add them to a large pot or dutch oven along with the quartered orange. Add brown sugar, all spice, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cardamom pods, and water. Stir until combined, about 30 seconds. Simmer dutch oven on low heat for four hours. Using a wooden spoon, crush down apples until texture resembles applesauce. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Strain, again, through cheesecloth over the fine-mesh sieve. Make Apple Cider Aperol Spritz Add apple cider to a wine glass along with Aperol. Add 3 to 4 ounces of Prosecco and ice. Top with about an ounce of soda water. Garnish with star anise and apple slice. Rate It Print