Patrick (Paddy) Moore Aperol Spritz
Rome, Italy — A Bittersweet Taste of La Dolce Vita
There are cities that charm you.
And then there is Rome — which arrives like an aria, kisses both cheeks, orders pasta, and somehow convinces you that afternoon drinking is not only acceptable, but culturally essential.
If true love is eternal, then no city is more romantic than La Città Eterna. Rome is history in marble, passion in piazzas, and gelato pretending to be a food group.
This is a city made for wandering: through the cobbled streets of Trastevere, past ivy-covered buildings, beneath the shadow of the Colosseum, and toward fountains that seem designed specifically for movie stars and hopeful romantics.
As Federico Fellini put it:
“Rome welcomes you when you arrive and forgets you when you go.”
But we never quite forget Rome.
The Story
The Spritz began, rather humbly, with soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire during their nineteenth-century occupation of Italy. Finding Italian wine a little too bold for their taste, they watered it down — adding a “spritz” of water.
Then came Aperol.
Created in Padua in 1919 by the Barbieri brothers, Aperol brought together gentian, rhubarb, cinchona, and a dazzling orange personality. Add bubbly Veneto prosecco and a splash of soda, and the Spritz Veneziano was born.
The aperitivo may have started in northern Italy, but all roads — naturally — lead to Rome.
And in Rome, the Aperol Spritz feels perfectly at home.
Recipe: Aperol Spritz
Ingredients
• 3 oz Prosecco
• 2 oz Aperol
• 1 oz Soda Water
• Ice
• Orange slice for garnish
Prepare
Select a generous wine glass.
Fill it with plenty of ice.
Slice a bright wheel of orange and prepare yourself emotionally for a small Roman holiday in a glass.
How to Make
- Fill a wine glass with ice cubes.
- Add Aperol.
- Add Prosecco.
- Top with soda water.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
Cin cin!
Garnish
A fresh orange slice — bright, sunny, and unapologetically Italian.
Tasting Notes
Bittersweet orange
Gentle herbal complexity
Sparkling prosecco lift
Light, refreshing finish
Mediterranean sunshine with a mischievous wink
It is not a cocktail that shouts.
It glows.
Where to Sip One in Rome
The Court
A rooftop bar near the Colosseum with stunning views and sophisticated ambiance.
The Jerry Thomas Project
A speakeasy-style bar in the historic centre with vintage charm.
Stravinskij Bar
Hotel de Russie elegance, garden beauty, and classic cocktails.
Barnum Café
A cozy Trastevere café-bar with a relaxed neighbourhood soul.
The Gin Corner
A stylish stop with an impressive selection of gins from around the world.
Traveltini Tip
Sip your Aperol Spritz just before sunset, preferably in a Roman piazza where the light turns golden, the scooters hum, and nobody is in quite as much of a hurry as they claimed to be.
Rome is Amor spelled backwards.
The Aperol Spritz is Rome served over ice.
