Valentine's Day Special - Fun with Aperol

Since today is Valentine's Day, there is a felt need for creating and giving that special someone a pink drink. While I support this trend, please resist the temptation to buy UV Pink or some other noxious, flavored vodka in order to make your significant other rose-colored cocktails. There are so many better options, including our topic for discussion today: Aperol. Aperol is a orange/red Italian liqueur, very similar to Campari, with a flavor profile that includes bitter orange and rhubarb. While Campari can be quite bitter, which is a turn off for some people, Aperol has a much sweeter profile and mixes well with other spirits, particularly gin, rye, and bourbon, as well as sparkling wine. Here are a couple of easy Aperol drinks that you might consider trying tonight:

The Veronica Rose

To do this drink properly, the fine folks at Imbibe Magazine recommend making your own rose-infused simple syrup. That is a process that takes a little bit of time, however, so here at Bar Kiley, we've come up with a palatable work-around. Here's the recipe for this bubbly, sweet sipper:

In a mixing glass, combine:

1/2 oz Aperol

1/2 oz simple syrup

2 dashes rose water

2 dashes orange bitters

Stir with ice to combine, strain into a champagne flute. Add 3-4 oz champagne to top off the glass and serve.

Buongiorno

This drink comes from friends of ours in Chicago, and it is quite excellent. Made properly this drink calls for St. George Terroir Gin and Bergamot simple syrup. Here at Bar Kiley, those ingredients fall a little outside our price range (what with the reality of being a graduate student and all). However, this adjusted recipe still tastes great and brings out the Aperol flavor very nicely, even if you lose out a little bit on the full flavor profile:

In a mixing glass, combine:

1 oz dry gin*

1 oz Aperol

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz simple syrup

1 egg white

Dry shake for 7-10 seconds to allow the egg to emulsify, then add ice and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain and serve in a coupe glass. Add 2-3 dashes of bitters (orange bitters work well with the flavor profile, but you can never go wromg with classic Angostura) on top of the egg white foam - if you have a dropper, you can even make cool shapes!

*If you have some spare time on your hands, you may wish to try this recipe with a Bar Kiley tweak. Instead of gin, we used Blood Orange infused vodka and really enjoyed the result. To make the specialty vodka, steep the peels of 4-6 blood oranges (with all the pith removed) in 750 ml of vodka for a week, along with the juice of two of the oranges. Double strain the liquid through cheese cloth, and then it is ready to serve. The resulting liquor is a little bitter, but with a fantastic blood orange flavor profile.

Enjoy and Happy Valentines Day!