Its orange, sparkling and bitter hues remind some of an Italian sunset in a glass. Aperol spritz, the cocktail that dots terraces with the passing of the summer, hails from the Veneto region of northern Italy, where it has been drunk since the first half of the 19th century. Born under the influence of the Austrian Empire – hence the sound of its name – it has been back in fashion since 2010, thanks to a marketing coup. If the spritz appeals to so many palates, it’s because it at once manages to combine the chic and the simple, the fun and the sophisticated, the retro and the modern, along with the bitter and the sweet.
