Citrus, Aperol and Bourbon Cocktail
Earlier this year when we were in Italy, we refreshed ourselves with Aperol Spritzes, that familiar bright orange aperitif composed of Aperol, Prosecco, and Club Soda. While I have nothing but praise for this lovely beverage, I wanted to make a cocktail that paid homage to the classic, but with more of a fresh citrus flavor.
Aperol liqueur is made from oranges but also herbs, other fruits, tree bark and roots. It has a bitter sweet quality and is neon orange in color. Inspired by a recipe by Jordan Hamons of The Hungry Traveler, I added Bourbon and freshly squeezed citrus fruits to the Aperol for a new summer favorite. I hope that you enjoy it.
The ingredients: Aperol, Bourbon, freshly squeezed juice from grapefruit, orange, and lemon, and citrus bitters.
Juice the fruits. You can strain the juice if you prefer, but I enjoy the tiny pieces of pulp.
Pour everything into a shaker and add ice.
Shake shake shake!
Pour into ice filled glasses (chilled glasses are a nice touch) and add a slice of orange.
Citrus, Aperol and Bourbon Cocktail makes 2 cocktails
2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
2 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces bourbon
1 ounce Aperol
2 dashes citrus bitters
Pour all the ingredients into a shaker; add ice and shake vigorously. Pour into two ice filled glasses. Add a thin slice of orange for garnish. You can strain the citrus juices first if you prefer.
“Cin cin” also known as “Cheers”