Skip to main content

Perfect Circle

3.0

(2)

Photograph of Campari cocktails on a tray.
Photo by Kelly Puleio

As the sun dips lazily down toward the horizon, I want a drink that’s bitter and lively—not too sweet or too alcoholic. Sure, the Aperol spritz is popular for a reason, but I usually crave something drier, like this aperitivo from Paul McGee and Shelby Allison, of Lost Lake in Chicago. The simple combination of sharp Campari and salty fino sherry makes for a spritz that quenches your thirst and works wonderfully with potato chips, olives, or aged cheeses. You can fit this one in a two-quart pitcher, but a slightly larger vessel will help you avoid pour-and fizz-related messes.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 12 servings in a 2 1/2-or 3-quart pitcher

Ingredients

1½ cups chilled fino or manzanilla sherry
1½ cups Campari

To serve:

1 (750 ml) bottle chilled dry sparkling wine
18 orange wheels

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Up to 24 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour sherry and Campari into a 2½- or 3-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

    Step 2

    To serve, stir 1 cup ice and 6 orange wheels into pitcher mix, then carefully add chilled sparkling wine and stir again gently to mix. Pour into ice-filled wine glasses or rocks glasses and garnish each glass with an orange wheel.

Image may contain: Grapefruit, Fruit, Food, Plant, Citrus Fruit, Produce, Drink, Juice, Beverage, Orange Juice, and Beer
From Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion © 2019 by Maggie Hoffman. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
This chicken salad nails it—creamy, herby, and endlessly riffable.
With black pepper, toasted sesame oil, and Castelvetrano olives, this margarita is for the savory drink lovers.
Use summer’s ripest offerings to make this Mexican party bev.
This thrifty riff hinges on canned butter beans and a juicy grated tomato marinade.
This sheetcake version of Italian cassata houses a booze-soaked spongecake and sweet ricotta under a blanket of green marzipan dotted with candied fruit.
This spicy blackberry margarita gets its heat from a chile de árbol, shaken with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
Sweet, aromatic, and bubblegum pink, this playful cocktail is the utter definition of fun.