Aperol is an Italian bitter apéritif made with gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona, among other ingredients. It has a clear orange hue. Its name comes from apero, a French slang word for 'apéritif'.

History

Aperol was originally created in 1919 by Luigi and Silvio Barbieri after seven years of experimentation. It did not become widely popular until after World War II. It was first produced by the Barbieri company, based in Padua, but is now produced by the Campari Group. Although it tastes and smells much like Campari, Aperol has an alcohol content of 11%—less than half that of Campari. They have the same sugar content, and Aperol is less bitter in taste. Campari is also much darker in color. Aperol sold in Germany had an alcohol content of 15% for some time to avoid German container deposit legislation regulations; however, since 2021, it has been sold with an alcohol content of 11%.

Mix variants

The spritz, an apéritif cocktail, is often made using Aperol. The result is known as the Aperol spritz. Another variant is the Aperol sour.

Sponsorship

Since April 2010, Aperol has been the official sponsor of MotoGP, the Grand Prix motorcycle racing. Aperol had a partnership with Manchester United F.C. as the club's official global spirits partner from January 2014 until the end of the 2016/2017 season.