4-Ingredient Aperol Old Fashioned

Love an Old Fashioned and ready to spice it up a bit without too much departure from the original? This Aperol Old Fashioned uses the popular Italian Aperitif to bring vibrance and flavor to your favorite cocktail, with just 4 simple ingredients.

This Aperol Bourbon Cocktail is truly as easy as it gets, utilizing high-impact ingredients to bring bold flavor and color to each smooth sip.

As a mom with a hectic schedule and refined taste, I love little hacks like substitutions one simple ingredient to elevate your recipes.

A classic Old Fashioned is simply whiskey, bitters, sugar, and water. The only difference here is that we are using a bitters Aperitif in place of the aromatic bitters. And the result is so vibrant and flavorful, you’ll never go back!

Aperol Old Fashioned Ingredient Highlights

Aperol is an Italian bitters Aperitif that gets its vibrant color from rhubarb. It works great in place of aromatic bitters in an Old Fashioned.

Since this cocktail is made up of only a few ingredients, the flavor of each ingredient really shines through. So, my best advice is to use your favorite bourbon for this cocktail!

But if you need some guidance on choosing your bourbon for an Old Fashioned, a 90-proof minimum is a good starting point. A 90 proof or above will keep its potency even when mixed with the other ingredients and when your ice begins to melt.

And while you can absolutely use any kind of whiskey and still get a delicious drink here, the extra sweetness in bourbon makes it the perfect whiskey for your Aperol Old Fashioned. I usually go for Maker’s Mark.

To make your own simple syrup, just add equal parts sugar and water to a small pot over high heat. Whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved and quickly remove from heat. Next, transfer it to a heat-safe glass and allow it to cool completely before adding it to your drink.

I also like to use whiskey ice, which is just a big block of ice that is used instead of a bunch of smaller pieces of ice. Because of its size, it melts a lot slower than your average cube.

Slow-melting ice is always best for any cocktails that are intended for slow sipping and savoring, like this Aperol Old Fashioned.

Slower melting ice means your drink won’t get watered down as quickly, giving it a longer lifespan for delicious flavor.

How to Make an Aperol Old Fashioned

You can either mix this cocktail up in a mixing glass and serve it over ice or just make it right in the glass. I usually do the latter for easier clean up.

Stir together the bourbon, Aperol, and simple syrup- it’s as easy as that.

Again, since there are such minimal ingredients in this cocktail, they all serve a very important purpose.

The orange peel in the Old Fashioned adds a subtle citrus flavor and aroma, that really rounds it out.

Express the oil from your orange peel by using clean hands to squeeze it over your glass, then drop the peel right in. Voila!

Quick and Easy Aperol Old Fashioned

5 from 8 votes

Marley Goldin

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This Aperol Old Fashioned uses an Italian bitters Aperitif to bring vibrancy to a well-balanced, subtly sweet, bourbon-forward drink.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cocktail

Equipment

• Cocktail Ice Molds (optional)

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 ounces bourbon
• ▢ ½ ounce Aperol
• ▢ ½ ounce simple syrup
• ▢ 1 slice orange peel

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Instructions

 

• Into an Old Fashioned glass, pour bourbon, Aperol, and simple syrup over whiskey ice and stir.
  2 ounces bourbon, ½ ounce Aperol, ½ ounce simple syrup
• Squeeze orange peel over your cocktail to express oils into your drink and place orange peel inside the glass. Enjoy!
  1 slice orange peel

Course Cocktails

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, 5 Ingredients or Less, Aperol, Easy, Quick, Vegan Cocktail

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