Kick Off Summer In Style With An Aperol Ice Cream Float

The Aperol Spritz is a classic and refreshing summer cocktail. Consisting of Aperol (a bittersweet botanical liqueur), Prosecco, and club soda, the drink is sweet, citrusy, and a little bitter all at the same time — in other words, it's delicious and refreshing. But what if you could make it into an even more summery treat? Turning your spritz into an ice cream float will do just the trick. All you need is ice cream or sorbet in your flavor choice — vanilla and orange are easy options that will both taste delicious — as well Prosecco, Aperol, and club soda.

Scoop the desired amount into a glass, then top it off with about 1 ounce of Aperol, 6 ounces of Prosecco, and a splash of club soda — or simply eyeball the amount of Prosecco and club soda that you'd like in the treat. If you want to go the extra mile, you can use an emptied out orange or tangelo as the "bowl" — as is popular on social media. 

But, since the orange is a much smaller vessel than a glass, you'll likely need to use less of each item in the recipe. You can simply eyeball the ingredients, seeing what fits in the orange. Finally, top off the drink with a straw or spoon, as well as mint or an orange slice for a garnish. The result is a creamy yet refreshing sweet summery treat with all of the boozy goodness of an Aperol Spritz.

The simplest way to customize the Aperol ice cream float is by switching up the ice cream flavor. As mentioned above, the two most straightforward flavors are vanilla and orange — vanilla is sweet and simple yet delicious and will let the flavors of the Aperol and the Prosecco shine, while orange will accentuate the orange zest notes that are already present in the Aperol. However, feel free to get creative with the ice cream or sorbet pairing — for example, you can take inspiration from Tasting Table's pear Aperol Spritz and use pear sorbet. 

Something citrusy, besides orange, such as lemon or lime sorbet may also make for a tasty option. Or, for a different route, you can even choose something rich like chocolate for a true experiment in flavors. Additionally, if you want to make the treat a little less boozy, you can swap out the Prosecco for club soda to give it the bubbly feel but with a much milder taste. On the other hand, if you prefer the taste of Champagne to Prosecco, feel free to make that swap instead.

Finally, if you love the idea of an Aperol ice cream float, but don't actually love the taste of an Aperol Spritz, then you can consider making something similar out of one of our alternatives to the Aperol Spritz. For example, swap out the Aperol for Campari (which is stronger and more bitter) for a slightly different take on the refreshing summer treat.