Sweet & sour, slightly bitter, and egg white fluffy, my Aperol Negroni Sour is sure to titillate all your senses. Made with just 5 ingredients in about 5 minutes, this gorgeous Malibu-sunset-hued cocktail is perfect for summer sipping.
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About This Recipe
If you’ve ever encountered a classic Negroni cocktail, then you’re familiar with the bitter cherry and citrus notes it delivers. While it is made with just three simple ingredients — gin, vermouth, and Campari — it is arguably one of the most complexly flavored cocktails out there.
Even the method of making a Negroni is simple, but the flavor is something of an acquired taste. If you’ve been put off by the bracing flavor of a traditional Negroni, this Aperol Negroni Sour might just be the solution. For comparison’s sake, consider it a Negroni-Lite.
Using lower-octane Aperol in place of Campari gives this sour cocktail a sweeter edge. Sweet elderflower liqueur is a bright, floral, fruity, and more citrus-forward alternative to the Negroni’s typical, hearty, caramel-flavored vermouth.
Adding an extra hit of tartness with fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor considerably. Finally, giving it the egg white treatment literally lightens up this Negroni Sour, giving it real loft in the form of an ethereal foam.
The resulting cocktail is pure summertime bliss. It is sweet, sour, fruity, floral, bitter, icy, and foamy all in one sip. Seriously, make this delicious Aperol Negroni Sour at your next Happy Hour. I have a feeling it’ll have all your friends talking!
Ingredients & Substitutions
My Aperol Negroni Sour only calls for 5 ingredients:
- Gin - While a typical Negroni would call for a more Juniper-focused gin, I suggest reaching for something a little more botanical to meld with the other flavors of this sour cocktail.
- Aperol - Bright orange-red and pleasantly bittersweet with hints of spring rhubarb, this is the lighter, more crowd-pleasing cousin to Campari.
- Elderflower liqueur - The most recognizable brand name is St. Germain, but any brand will do. It is sweet, floral, and has some nice citrus undertones.
- Lemon Juice - I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: fresh is always best when it comes to lemon juice. Plus, when you get the whole lemon, you also get a free garnish out of it! Roll the citrus firmly on a work surface for 10-15 seconds before cutting it in order to extract the most juice.
- Egg White - Adding eggs to your cocktail might sound strange, but egg whites have a lot of protein without adding a lot of flavor. This is not a health pitch here; the protein actually helps to trap air and will change the texture of your cocktail to give a more viscous, frothy mouthfeel. If you don’t want to separate your eggs, buying the type of egg whites that come in a carton is an easy solution.
Equipment
Making a gorgeous orange Aperol Gin cocktail doesn’t require much in terms of equipment. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cocktail Shaker or Container with Lid - Make sure your cocktail shaker lid fits tightly to avoid any big spills.
- Cocktail Strainer - While some extremely small pieces of ice in the cocktail may give ab bit of texture, you are going to want to hold any larger pieces back. Cocktail strainers are the best piece of equipment around for making sure only the shaken cocktail ingredients filter through
- Pretty Cocktail Glasses - Happy hour at home may not seem as special as a night on the town, but I guarantee that’ll change when you level up your glass game. I’m partial to a coupe glass whenever it comes to sour cocktails, but you could easily get even fancier with a specific sour glass, also known as a Delmonico glass. Bonus points if you have some beautiful cocktail napkins to serve your professional-looking beverages with!
How To Make Aperol Negroni Sours
Ready to feel like a pro? This simple Aperol Gin Cocktail is about to blow your mind.
- In a shaker, combine all ingredients and shake without ice for 30 seconds.
- Then, add ice and shake for an additional 30 seconds.
- Strain into a glass getting rid of the broken ice chips and serve. Cheers to you!
Optional Variations
There’s always room for customization, even with this Aperol sour! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
- Make it vegan. If eggs are off the table, feel free to use aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) in its place. Simply swap in about 2 tablespoons of aquafaba for the egg white, and you should end up with the same beautifully foamed top.
- Make it a Campari Negroni Sour. While I prefer the lower ABV and sweeter flavor of Aperol in this Negroni Sour, you’re welcome to nod your hat to the original cocktail by swapping in Campari instead.
Expert Tips
- Dry shake with the egg whites for a better frothy texture. Shaking the Aperol sour without ice will ensure that the egg whites combine well with the other ingredients. If you try to shake with the ice already added, you won’t get the same homogenization.
- Shake well with the ice for aeration and mouthfeel. Shaking cocktails with ice not only acts to mix the ingredients together but also simultaneously chills and aerates them. Think of it like this - shaking a cocktail is akin to creaming butter and sugar; don’t rush the process and you’ll end up with a better, tastier result.
- Serve immediately. Shaken cocktails are meant to be served immediately! After you’ve shaken it like the dickens, those small shards of ice are suspended for a short period of time, giving the cocktail a lighter mouthfeel. The longer the cocktail sits, the ice will melt, the texture of the drink will collapse, and the foam will disappear.
Frequently Asked Questions
While both of these brands fit into the umbrella term aperitif, the two have some pretty major differences. The primary things to keep in mind are that Aperol is sweeter, less bitter, and is only about 11% ABV. Campari, on the other hand, is more bitter with a higher ABV of around 24%.
Whereas a traditional negroni is a stirred cocktail made with just 3 spirits, this negroni sour includes fresh lemon juice and a fluffy egg white for a lighter, brighter riff on the original.
Unfortunately, shaken drinks aren’t really cut out for turning into pitcher beverages. They should be imbibed shortly after shaking for the best texture.
More Warm Weather Happy Hour Recipes
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try making this Aperol Negroni Sour, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Aperol Negroni Sour Cocktail
Equipment
- Shaker or Container with Lid
- Glasses for serving
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz Gin
- 1 ½ oz Aperol
- ¾ oz Elderflower Liqueur
- 1 oz Lemon Juice
- 1 Egg White
- Ice
- Orange Slice, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the gin, aperol, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, and egg white to a cocktail shaker.1 ½ oz Gin, 1 ½ oz Aperol, ¾ oz Elderflower Liqueur, 1 oz Lemon Juice, 1 Egg White
- Dry shake for 20 seconds before adding ice and shaking for another 30 seconds vigorously.Ice
- Strain into an old-fashioned glass with ice and add a slice of orange to garnish!
Video
Notes
- Dry shake with the egg whites for a better frothy texture. Shaking the Aperol sour without ice will ensure that the egg whites combine well with the other ingredients. If you try to shake with the ice already added, you won’t get the same homogenization.
- Shake well with the ice for aeration and mouthfeel. Shaking cocktails with ice not only acts to mix the ingredients together but also simultaneously chills and aerates them. Think of it like this - shaking a cocktail is akin to creaming butter and sugar; don’t rush the process and you’ll end up with a better, tastier result.
- Serve immediately. Shaken cocktails are meant to be served immediately! After you’ve shaken it like the dickens, those small shards of ice are suspended for a short period of time, giving the cocktail a lighter mouthfeel. The longer the cocktail sits, the ice will melt, the texture of the drink will collapse, and the foam will disappear.
- What is the difference between Campari and Aperol? While both of these brands fit into the umbrella term aperitif, the two have some pretty major differences. The primary things to keep in mind are that Aperol is sweeter, less bitter, and is only about 11% ABV. Campari, on the other hand, is more bitter with a higher ABV of around 24%.
- What makes this particular negroni recipe a sour cocktail? Whereas a traditional negroni is a stirred cocktail made with just 3 spirits, this negroni sour includes fresh lemon juice and a fluffy egg white for a lighter, brighter riff on the original.
- Can I make this as a pitcher drink? Unfortunately, shaken drinks aren’t really cut out for turning into pitcher beverages. They should be imbibed shortly after shaking for the best texture.
John
Hello there! I LOVED the recipe, but I can’t find the elderflower liqueur 🙁
Can I substitute it with something else?
Thanks!
Emily
Hi John! So glad to hear you loved the recipe - in terms of a substitution, I would recommend an alternate floral liqueur of your choosing that you can find, or going in a slightly different direction and choosing an orange liqueur such as cointreau!
John
Excellent! Thank you very much! 👍🏻♥️
Emily
So glad you enjoyed John!