Where did the summer go? It’s well into August and our last post was over a month ago! We owe you all a proper catch up post. That will have to wait but for now we can give you a peek into what’s been going on in our busy lives. Summer is past it’s mid-way point and we’ve just wrapped up a video project with our friends at Gotham Studios for Thai Kitchen and a 12 recipe photo shoot for a second project (more on that another time). Summer also means the kids are home so we’ve been cottaging, to the beach and pool hopping, visiting with friends from far away places and celebrating a 4th birthday! This busy, sun-filled schedule has been squeezed into our usual daily work routine all the while a major kitchen renovation is in the works. Now when we say major we mean walls ripped down, layers of flooring stripped bare (loved that surprise two layers of subfloor and linoleum that had to go), gutted rooms and a new electrical panel. Thank goodness for the BBQ or we’d be eating take out every night!

With every spare moment taken up with life, it’s been a challenge to find time to write our blog. We have so many ideas of what we’d like to share with you. We are constantly inspired by food and drink, creating recipes and pairings with every meal and plate. There’s a fire in the belly! We have the appetite and enthusiasm and strive to be better at sharing our culinary adventures more frequently.

Time management issues aside, the recipe featured in this post is as easy as adding three ingredients. It couldn’t be simpler and you don’t even need a kitchen! This little cocktail is so refreshing we’ve been enjoying it all summer long. It’s the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. It’s light and lower in alcohol and it’s fizzy. Last year may have been all about the Frosé but the summer drink of 2017 is the Aperol Spritz.

The classic Aperol Spritz recipe is 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and a splash of soda. Add a slice of orange, serve it in a large wine glass over ice and it’s the perfect summer cocktail. The 3-2-1 formula couldn’t be any simpler. We love a classic but also enjoy experimental mixology and couldn’t help a bit of behind the bar tinkering. Our version has the classic Aperol and Prosecco but with an added splash of tropical, fragrant, sweet guava juice – the Guava Aperol Spritz!

So what is Aperol and what’s the story behind it’s popularity? Aperol is an Italian aperitivo made of bitter orange, rhubarb, botanicals and herbs, liquorice and vanilla .The actual recipe is a closely guarded secret but it’s thought there may be more than 30 ingredients. It has a bright floral aroma with the scent and taste of sweet bitter orange.  Aperol was first launched in 1919 at the Padua International Fair, created by the Barbieri brothers. It gained popularity through the 1920’s and 30’s and was marketed as a ‘drink for women and sportive people” to help stay ‘lean and fit’ due to it’s lower alcohol content.

The spritz was created in the 1950’s with the 3-2-1 recipe of Prosecco-Aperol-soda as part of the advertising campaign written directly on the back label. Prosecco proved to be the perfect match for Aperol, the bubbly sweet splash of freshness complimented the complex, bitter orange flavours. It’s the ideal cocktail for aperitivo hour as it’s uncomplicated, refreshing and relatively low in alcohol. The electric shade of vermillion is so eye-catching, when an Aperol Spritz is ordered and paraded through a busy restaurant or bar, ineveitablly the question is asked ‘what is that and may I order one’!

method

1.  Fill a large wine glass or highball glass with ice.
2.  First pour 1 part guava juice over the ice.
3. Pour 2 parts Aperol into each glass
4. Finish with 3 parts Prosecco.
5. Garnish with sliced orange or pink grapefruit.

The Italian’s understand drinking for the moment. The time for sipping an aperitivo is with friends in those hours before a meal when you want something light and refreshing. That time before a meal when you start imagining exactly what you’ll be eating. The word ‘aperitivo’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘to open’ and that’s the idea behind the Italian aperitivo; a little something to stimulate the appetite. We have fully embraced the aperitivo ritual this summer. It’s a time of reflection, conversation and a time to dream about what to eat next.

Our Guava Aperol Spritz is the perfect aperitivo. With one sip we are immediately whisked out of renovation chaos, drywall dust and paint fumes and find ourselves sitting, relaxing in an Italian piazza.