Rhubarb Aperol Spritz
If you caught this recipe last Summer for a kombucha aperol spritz, you know I am obsessed with Italy. The idea of aperativo hour is so appealing, especially as soon as the sun comes out. I see Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck seated at a breezy outdoor cafe on the cobblestone streets of Rome, sipping on cocktails. See, dreamy, right? Lately, Seattle has been so beautiful and I can feel the warmer months just around the corner. In the spirit of Spring, I impulsively bought a whole armful of rhubarb when I saw it at the store the other day. As I was contemplating what to do with it all, I remembered rhubarb is one of the main flavors in aperol and thought hey! Rhubarb apritz! So here we are. The rhubarb simple syrup has a nice balance of sweet and tart so the cocktail isn't overly sweet, especially paired with the pleasantly bitter aperol.
This is a fairly low-alcohol cocktail, as is the nature of an aperatif. So it's the perfect libation to whip up at the beginning of an evening. Happy Spring and happy spritzing!
Rhubarb Aperol Spritz
serves 1
2 oz aperol
1 oz bianco vermouth (sweet vermouth)
1 oz rhubarb syrup (recipe below)
sparkling mineral water (such as Pellegrino)
orange slices, to garnish
rhubarb ribbons, to garnish (optional)
rhubarb syrup
2 c rhubarb, washed, leaves trimmed* and roughly chopped
1 c raw sugar
1 c water
make the rhubarb syrup
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, sugar, and rhubarb and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain syrup. Allow to cool before using. Store in fridge.
make the spritz
In a 12 oz rocks glass, add the rhubarb syrup, vermouth, and aperol. Add ice and top with sparkling water, stir to combine, and garnish with an orange slice and a curled rhubarb ribbon. To make rhubarb ribbons, run a vegetable peeler along the length of a rhubarb stalk to make thin ribbons.
*A friendly little reminder that if you don't know already, the leaves of rhubarb are poisonous so be sure to cut those off and toss them!
