Aperol is so pleasingly, and slightly alarmingly vivid orange. When mixed, the nearly nuclear glow mellows and it colours cocktails a lovely peachy-orange. Its flavour is more subtle that its neon colour - orangy and herbaceous and slightly bitter. It’s fairly low alcohol too, so it’s the perfect choice for the day drinker. And these are very much for the day drinker - they should really be consumed on a porch or a patio or in a hammock or another similarly loungy, sunny, outdoors location.

I swapped out the typical prosecco of the aperol spritz for a cheerful sparkling rosé and added a lot of tart lime and grapefruit and just a little bit of sweetness to balance it all out. I love a tart drink, so I kept the sugar pretty low, but taste it and adjust to suit yourself. You can also top up the punch with a bit of seltzer in order to dial in the booziness level you desire.

rosé aperol citrus punch

½ cup aperol
3 grapefruits, juiced
3 limes, juiced
2-3 ounces simple syrup*
1 bottle sparkling rosé

Combine everything but the rosé in a large pitcher or a punch bowl. Stir to combine well. Top with rosé and serve over lots of ice with a grapefruit wedge.

Simple syrup: combine equal parts sugar and water and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Let cool and keep refrigerated.