Frozen Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz emerged from the Veneto region of Italy, where locals have been taking their evening aperitivo since the Austrians introduced the concept of adding a splash of water to strong wine. Spritz comes from the German word for spray. The drink evolved, the bitter orange Aperol joined the conversation in 1919, and by the time American tourists discovered Venice, the spritz had become as essential to the city as the canals themselves.

Freezing this classic might seem like heresy to purists. I disagree. The frozen version honors the original by intensifying what makes it work: that bitter-sweet orange profile, the wine's subtle fruit, the refreshing chill that makes you reach for another sip. On a blazing July afternoon, when the thermometer has abandoned all reason, a frozen spritz isn't a compromise. It's an improvement.

The technique requires attention to two details. First, you must blend until perfectly smooth but stop before you've beaten the life out of it. Second, the club soda goes in last and gets only the gentlest incorporation. Lose that effervescence and you've made an orange slushie, not a spritz.