Blood Orange Mint Aperol Spritzer

Hand me a cocktail. This week was one of those weeks where you feel like you did not stop moving from the moment you open your eyes in the morning to when you fall into bed and turn off the light. Not even for a second.

But at the same time, you feel incredibly productive and are crossing things off your to-do list like a champ. That’s how my week is going so far and while I’m flying high on productivity and #GSD vibes, I could use a refreshing cocktail. Aperol is Italy’s most popular apertif, a pre-meal drink that’s supposed to wake up your appetite. After a busy day at work, I’m usually already hungry but a pre-dinner cocktail to sip on as I make my dinner? Twist my arm.

My blood orange mint Aperol spritzer was created the other weekend out of necessity. Saturday morning was so so beautiful, I went for a long walk around Eastern Market and even picked up an iced chai for the first time in months. I opened all the windows in my apartment to let the fresh air in and noticed a definite spring in my step (so to speak). And then the clouds rolled in. I wanted to keep that spring feeling going and what better way to do that than with a fun cocktail? I padded into the kitchen to see what I had on hand and got to work!

I started by making a mint simple syrup. Simple syrups are incredibly…well…simple to make and immediately kick your cocktail game up a few notches. You’ll instantly feel like a fancy schmancy mixologist and all it takes is water, sugar and whatever flavor you’d like to add.

I broke out the ice sphere mold to make my cocktail feel even more special. I generally avoid superfluous kitchen gadgets because of my postage-stamp sized kitchen but guys, these ice spheres are just too cool (Pun not intended, surprisingly) to get. And they’re only $12!

Pour about 2 ounces of Aperol into the rocks glass and about an ounce of the mint simple syrup. Top off with blood orange soda and give it a swirl to mix.

I typically keep Trader Joe’s blood orange soda on hand, it’s a delicious mixer and I’m always a fan of adding some carbonation to my cocktails. Plus, the vibrant color makes my bar cart look so much fun. I was really craving citrus the other week so I had a few blood oranges on hand to squeeze into the drink and slice up for garnish. I’m really digging how the yellow peel looks against the pink in the photos below. Finally, add a fresh sprig of mint to complete the Aperol spritzer!

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