Your Aperol bottle can stay in use when the weather turns cold. This version warms the aperitivo with apple cider, honey and cinnamon, then adds Prosecco in the cup. Make the base for two and finish each serving just before drinking.
The formula comes from Sarah’s Hot Aperol at Real Food with Sarah . We’ve kept its quantities and heating sequence, rewritten the instructions, and placed the cinnamon beside the drink rather than using a stick as a garnish.
Ingredients for two
- 3 1/2 fluid ounces Aperol
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup Prosecco
- 1 orange, sliced for serving
These are batch quantities for two cups. Each cup gets half the heated base and half the Prosecco. The orange is sliced for garnish; this formula doesn’t call for squeezing its juice into the pan.
Warm the base, then finish the cups
Put the cider, Aperol, honey and cinnamon in a saucepan. Heat just to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Don’t boil the mixture. Divide the warm base between two heat-safe cups and add half the Prosecco to each. Serve with an orange slice.
Leave the cinnamon stick in the pan when you divide the liquid. The source puts Prosecco into the cups after heating; keep it out of the saucepan while making the warm base. Set out the cups first so you can finish and serve the drinks together.
What changes from a cold spritz
Treat this as its own recipe rather than applying a cold spritz ratio to a hot saucepan. The cider and honey are part of the published formula. If you already have a favorite cold Aperol Spritz, keep that recipe for its own glass and use these quantities for the warm version.
Heating doesn’t make this alcohol-free. Both Aperol and Prosecco are alcoholic ingredients. If you’re serving a mixed group, identify the drink clearly and offer a separate non-alcoholic option, such as our Christmas punch .
Serve a pair before scaling up
The source yield is two servings. For an additional identical pair, double each ingredient, including the Prosecco reserved for the cups. Don’t guess how many cups a larger pot will fill: choose the number of pairs, measure the full batch, and divide it accordingly. This article doesn’t specify a holding time or a reheating cycle for a party pot.
You’ll need a saucepan, a measure and heat-safe cups. Packaging isn’t part of the presentation, and a dedicated warming appliance isn’t necessary for this two-drink method. For other warm drinks to compare, browse our winter cocktail collection .
