The bright, flirty, bittersweet flavor and feel of a spritz make it the ideal easy cocktail for the cold winter months. Try this delicious Winter
![Gorgeous wine glass filled with Winter Aperol spritz, placed on snowy ground.](https://combinegoodflavors.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/winter-aperol-spritz-D75_1407-scaled.jpg)
Your winter routine doesn’t need a spruce up, it needs a spritz up, and this cocktail has you covered! This refreshing, fun, and whimsical sip tastes like a drop of the North Pole in a glass!
A Winter Aperol Spritz is the perfect party drink, whether it's a big bash or a party of one because it's easy, refreshing, festive, and totally delicious!
Jump to:
🎥 Video
🥘 Ingredients
- Cubed Ice: Choose large cubes for a slower meltdown.
- Aperol: Wonder
Aperol is an Italian form of bitters with a vibrant red hue. It gets this bold color from the rhubarb used to make it. - Cranberry Juice: Cranberries have a refreshingly tart taste that really sings when paired with
Aperol . You can use regular cranberry, sugar-free, or even a blend like cran-apple. - Sparkling Wine: Refreshing sparkling wine brings an exciting fizzy element to the spritz. Choose your favorite wine, but prosecco makes a nice choice.
- Rosemary Twig And Orange Slice: This pair makes a lovely holiday garnish for this bubbly beauty!
See the recipe card for quantities.
👣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Fill the serving glass with cubed ice.
Step Two: Add the
Step Three: Add the cranberry juice to the glass.
Step Four: Top with sparkling wine.
Step Five: Garnish with orange and rosemary, then enjoy!
🍸 Variations
- Citrus Swap: Trade the tart cranberry juice for a sweet blood orange juice to make a bright, citrusy version of this classic.
- Berry Blast: Try making this bubbly beverage with a berry and cranberry juice blend to bring some sweeter fruit flavors into the mix.
- Pomegranate Pop: Another great winter flavor is pomegranate. Celebrate this flavor by trading the cranberry juice for pomegranate.
🎠 Perfect Pairing
🍽 Equipment
- Measuring Tools/Jigger: Use liquid measuring tools or a cocktail
jigger . - Serving Glasses: I love to use a stemmed wine glass to serve this Christmasy concoction, but you can also use stemless or an old-fashioned glass instead.
💭 Top tips
The best way to chill your glassware is by popping it in the freezer a few hours in advance. A quicker way to get the glass cold is to fill it with ice, mix up your delicious drink, then dump the ice, replace it with new ice, and complete the drink as directed.
🙋🏻 FAQ
This drink was designed for holiday parties and festive cocktail breaks. Try this refreshing Italian-inspired sip with garlic bread, bruschetta, or rosemary crackers. It is also lovely with sweet choices like citrus sorbet, shortbread cookies, or lemon cake.
Yes! Trade the
Since this cocktail was designed to dazzle with yummy bubbles, it tastes and looks its best when poured to order.
Other Recipes for You to Try
- Frozen Raspberry Margarita
- Easy Watermelon Gin & Tonic Recipe
- White Wine Hugo Spritz Cocktail Recipe
- Refreshing Watermelon Moscow Mule Recipe
If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. This would be awesome! You can also sign up for our Newsletter or follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and hashtag #combinegoodflavors, so I don't miss it.
📖 Recipe
Winter Aperol Spritz with Cranberry Juice
Equipment
- Measuring tools / Jigger
- Serving Glasses
Ingredients
- Cubed ice to fill up the glass
- 1 ½ oz Aperol
- 1 oz Cranberry juice
- Sparkling wine to fill up the glass
Garnish
- Rosemary twig
- Orange slice
Instructions
- Fill the serving glass to the brim with Cubed ice.Cubed ice
- Measure 1 ½ oz Aperol and 1 oz Cranberry juice with a jigger, and empty them into the serving glass.1 ½ oz Aperol, 1 oz Cranberry juice
- Top with Sparkling wine to the rim and garnish with an Orange slice and a Rosemary twig.Sparkling wine, Rosemary twig, Orange slice
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
DK
This refreshing drink is easy to make yet so delicious and satisfying! Thanks for sharing!
Nora
Thank you, DK! I am happy you liked it!
Andréa
Aperol spritz is one of my favorite drinks. And the addition of cranberry did give it some extra freshness. Cheers!
Nora
Thank you, Andréa! I am a huge fan of cranberry juice in cocktails! And it pairs so well with Aperol!
Helen
This drink is absolutely delicious! It's really refreshing and a perfect blend of flavors!
Nora
Thank you, Helen! I am happy you liked it!
Nicole NK
This spritz recipe was amazing. I used it for my girls night, and everyone loved it.
Nora
Thank you, Nicole! Yeah, I love this one for parties too!