A Summer Cocktail: Aperol, Ginger & Mint Spritz

Recipe & Images by Sam Hillman

I love Aperol spritzes for their festive orange garnishes, and for the-ritzy woman-who-vacations-on-the-Amalfi-coast-and-owns-many-patterned-headscarves lifestyle it denotes. I love kombucha for its associations with yoga, for making me feel like the kind of flexible and spiritually-buoyant human who could correctly execute more than one pose*, and also for its promise of extraordinary gut health.

As far as beverages go, both are aspirational products for me, and despite the contradictory lifestyles they imply, good things – great things, in fact – happen when they are introduced.

This spritz is fresh and sharp and the right amount of bitter. Boozier than its traditional self, and less sweet than your run-of-the mill holiday cocktail; it’s apt for long afternoons, Christmas parties, and delicate mornings-after (though maybe sans the liquor). It also takes about twenty-something-seconds to throw together, and can be scaled up for a crowd in a punch bowl.

*I have currently mastered Balasana, or Child’s Pose, which is essentially lying on the floor in a horizontal-brace position.