Aperol Spritz Pitcher for a Crowd Recipe

Name: Aperol Spritz Pitcher for a Crowd
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8 drinks
Ingredients: 1 bottle (750 ml / 25 oz) prosecco, Brut or Extra Dry, thoroughly chilled; 2 cups (16 oz / 475 ml) Aperol; 1 cup (8 oz / 240 ml) soda water, chilled; 2 oranges, cut into half-wheels; Ice cubes, about 4 lb (1.8 kg), for the glasses only

The 3-2-1 spritz scaled up to serve eight, which is how it is actually drunk at an Italian aperitivo hour. The trick is that a pitcher of spritz is not simply eight spritzes made early: the prosecco and soda go in at the last moment, and no ice ever touches the pitcher. Set it up in advance and you can pour a round in under a minute.

Aperol Spritz Pitcher for a Crowd

Prep10 min

Total time10 min

Servings8 drinks

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

1 bottle (750 ml / 25 oz) prosecco, Brut or Extra Dry, thoroughly chilled
2 cups (16 oz / 475 ml) Aperol
1 cup (8 oz / 240 ml) soda water, chilled
2 oranges, cut into half-wheels
Ice cubes, about 4 lb (1.8 kg), for the glasses only

Instructions

Chill the prosecco, the Aperol, and the soda water in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Pour the Aperol into a large pitcher and add half the orange half-wheels. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Fill 8 large wine glasses to the top with ice cubes and line them up.
Just before serving, pour the chilled prosecco into the pitcher, down the side rather than into the middle.
Add the soda water and stir once, slowly, with a long spoon.
Pour immediately into the iced glasses, about 6 oz each.
Garnish each glass with a fresh orange half-wheel and serve.

Each 6 oz pour contains roughly 2 oz of Aperol at 11% plus prosecco, so a spritz is lighter than most cocktails but not soft. Have soda water and a jug of water on the table too.

Tips

Never put ice in the pitcher. It melts while the pitcher sits and turns the last two glasses into a watery orange drink.
Cold prosecco foams far less than cool prosecco. Four hours in the fridge is the single biggest thing you can do for this pitcher.
Brut gives a drier, more bitter spritz; Extra Dry is sweeter and rounder despite the name. Pick to match the food you are serving.
Doubling for 16 is fine, but build two pitchers rather than one enormous one, so the second lot stays sealed and fizzy while the first is poured.

FAQ

What usually goes wrong?

Mixing the whole thing an hour before guests arrive. The prosecco goes flat, and a flat spritz is just bitter orange squash.

How do I store it?

The Aperol and orange base keeps in a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to 24 hours and improves slightly as the orange infuses. Once the prosecco goes in you have about 30 minutes before the bubbles are gone.

Why do my times differ?

Ovens differ. Use the times as a guide and judge by how it looks and feels.