Frozen Aperol Spritz Slushy

This special drink raises the bar for any party! A little bit sweeter and a lot more fun, it’s an adult slushy!

The first time I ever saw an Aperol Spritz I was in Cinque Terre, Italy! We were on a European family vacation. It was an extremely hot day. After I got my three young boys all sunscreened up and they were busy jumping off the cliffs into the warm Mediterranean Sea, I needed a break. Looking around I saw these beautiful Italian women sipping on an orange-colored drink, it looked so refreshing! I knew I had to try one. So my husband and I sat down at a Sunburst umbrella covered table (where we could still see the kids) and said, I’ll have what their having! And Voila! Just like that I was hooked on Aperol Spritz.

My first Aperol Spritz in Cinque Terre, Italy, July 2013.

This summer when I was looking for frozen cocktails, I came across Giada’s Spritzer Slushy- an Aperol-based frozen fun time! I decided to test it out with a few girlfriends and we had so much fun. The drink became an activity! We were giggling while scraping it into shards and deciding how much slushy to put into each glass before topping it off with Prosecco! And of course an orange slice, just because! If you know me, you know I LOVE everything pretty! It just makes me happy!

The next week, I was invited to a ladies cocktail party. The invite said “bring an appetizer and a drink of your choice.” I had just made the frozen Aperol spritz and they were such a hit I thought, “Why Not!” I whipped up a batch and off I went. They made a huge splash! During the course of the evening the bartender came up to me asking if I was the one who brought “that” orange drink? I could tell by the look on his face he was not happy with me! He said, semi-jokingly, that I had made his evening very difficult because all the ladies were coming up to him requesting “that” Orange drink! Of course I hadn’t made enough for 30 ladies! So if you are going to take these to a party be forewarned: you need to make a lot! The granita does not go as far as you would think!

This is my experience making Giada’s spritzer slushies. Try it, you won’t be disappointed!

*Boiling OJ (left) and adding the Aperol (right)*

Ok so, Step One is to boil orange juice with a little lemon juice, sugar, and salt. I love the addition of OJ and sugar because it makes the bitter Aperol a little sweeter.

Cobi Quick Tip: Buy fresh squeezed Orange Juice for this one! When I was first at the store I was piling oranges in my cart when I realized fresh squeezed store bought would be SO much easier! So if you have a store that juices, save yourself a lot of time and go for it.

Next, take it off the heat and add the Aperol. You don’t want to put the Aperol in while you’re still on your burner because you don’t want to cook the alcohol out (heaven forbid!)

Once the Aperol is in, the color is absolutely stunning! It’s so happy, you want to just sit down and drink it right then! (and I admit, I did have a few spoonfuls!)

*Into the freezer! (left) and fully frozen eight hours later (right)*

Now is the easy part… Once it cools, Pour it in a tray and stick it in the freezer for four to six hours (or overnight). Cobi Quick Tip: I made two batches, one in a glass tray and one in metal. The metal froze faster and kept it cold longer once it was out of the freezer too! So if you have to buy a tray for this recipe, I would go metal.

Also just a note, keep in mind that even when doubling the recipe (or tripling or quadrupling - no judgement!), each batch still needs its own tray, otherwise it will take forever to freeze and be even harder to shred.

From here, the real fun begins!

Using a fork scrape it into large shards. Work fast because it starts to melt!

Spoon into your glass of choice…

Cobi Quick Tip: I started with a larger glass then moved to a smaller one because the bigger one needs WAY too much granita. Like I said earlier, the granita doesn’t go as far as you’d think so I found that a smaller glass looked more full and inviting and made the cocktail go further.

I also added an orange slice because why not! You know I love anything pretty.

Now top with Prosecco and sip!