Prosecco DOC Brings the Perfect Pop to Aperitivo Hour

In recent years, the Aperol Spritz and Negroni Sbagliato (with a little help from Negroni Week and Emma D’Arcy) have become synonymous with one of their star ingredients: Prosecco DOC. With its perfect balance of acidity and effervescence, Italy’s signature sparkling wine brings a unique character to everything from spritzes to sparkling punches, but there’s plenty to know about Prosecco DOC when choosing a bottle for aperitivo hour.

Flavors, Textures, & Taste

Prosecco DOC can be typically defined by notes that are either distinctly floral, like acacia flowers, wisteria petals, elderflower notes, or fruity, like apples, pears, and other citrus fruits. On the palate, Prosecco DOC is known for its very fresh taste, and crisp mouthfeel, although some aspects of the flavor profile can change depending on the residual sugar content.

Prosecco DOC Brut has less residual sugar, so it tends to be drier with more pronounced acidity and citrus notes, while Prosecco DOC Extra Dry has higher residual sugar, therefore wines show more roundness and overall a more pronounced fruity character. Prosecco DOC Rosé has a similar flavor profile, further enriched by floral notes of rose petals and violets and hints of wild strawberry, berries and raspberry thanks to the Pinot Nero, or Pinot Noir. The mouthfeel of Prosecco DOC Rosé is round and soft, but with greater structure than its counterpart.

Both Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOC Rosé have a consistent but effervescent perlage, a term used to describe the bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine that rise to the surface in subtle paths. The bubbles are lighter than traditional method wines, giving Prosecco DOC its signature light and refreshing fresh mouthfeel.

Mixing With Prosecco DOC

While Prosecco DOC is an excellent aperitivo on its own, you can also use it to make an array of bright and bubbly cocktails. Distinctive but elegant, Prosecco DOC complements a variety of ingredients without overpowering them.

In classic Italian drinks like the Aperol, Campari, and Hugo Spritz, Prosecco DOC provides effervescence and depth of flavor. Each of these cocktails combines a bitter or liqueur—Aperol, Campari, and elderflower liqueur, respectively—with soda water and Prosecco DOC. The results are easy, breezy, and just the thing to sip before dinner, preferably on a cobblestoned piazza while the sun sets over the Duomo. 

The spritz template is endlessly versatile, too. Have a bottle of the French aperitif Lillet on hand? Top it with Prosecco DOC and soda water, and garnish it with an orange slice for a taste of la belle vie. Craving something moodier with more bitterness as temperatures cool? Combine Averna Amaro with Prosecco DOC and soda water, and add a dash of simple syrup to taste. Or swap in a spirit-free aperitif for an even lower-proof version of a traditional Italian spritz.

Other classic Prosecco DOC cocktails include the Bellini, which combines the sparkling wine with peach liqueur and purée, plus fresh lemon juice. The drink dates to 1945, when Giuseppe Cipriani created it at Harry’s Bar in Venice. It has since inspired countless iterations, such as the rye-forward Harry’s Bellini served at Judy and Harry’s in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Prosecco DOC is key to one of the world’s best-known Negroni variations, too. The Negroni Sbagliato substitutes Prosecco DOC for the gin in the equal-parts Negroni recipe, creating a spritzy, less boozy riff on the scarlet icon. Drinks historians believe it originated at Milan’s Bar Basso in the 1970s; as the legend goes, a bartender grabbed a bottle of Prosecco DOC by mistake and unintentionally created an all new, 21st-century classic. Whether or not that story is true, it goes to show that experimenting with Prosecco in cocktails is a timeless art.

The post Prosecco DOC Brings the Perfect Pop to Aperitivo Hour appeared first on Imbibe Magazine.