Happy middle of summer Friday.

I’m still getting slowly unpacked and recovered from the last week at the beach, so I wasn’t in the mood for something overly complicated to make and write about this week. I happened to remember I had some Aperol in the bar still, and saving the more common Aperol spritz for a later review, I went looking to see what sort of summer appropriate beverage I could make and I came across the “Rol & Rye” from Bon Appetit. It certainly is easy, and looked delicious so that’s what I went for!

1.5 oz. Aperol

1.5 oz. Rye or bourbon

Club Soda

Orange wheel for garnish

Combine 1 1/2 ounces Aperol and 1 1/2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey in a highball glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange wheel.

The nose is very neutral. I can get a slight hint of orange from the garnish but nothing too strong aroma wise.

The sip is very light, crisp and slightly sweet. After a few seconds, I’m able to pick up deeper orange flavors; both from the garnish and from the ounce and a half of Aperol. The rye is all but lost flavor wise, but it’s putting in a lot of work behind the scenes. The sip is fairly well balanced all the way throughout. Once the orange comes in, nothing really changes. The soda gives it a welcome lightness, especially for the middle of summer, and the finish is clean, without any sort of lingering aftertaste at all.

As noted above. the rye, while undetectable from a flavor standpoint is doing yeoman’s work. It adds a nice depth to the drink that is definitely needed. Aperol and soda may be a nice combination on their own, but there is a reason you usually see a third ingredient alongside them. Be it prosecco in a traditional Aperol spritz, or whiskey in the ‘Rol & Rye.

One thing I do want to do differently next time (and there will be a next time believe me) is adjust the glass, or the amount of soda. I surprisingly don’t have a highball glass, so I decided to roll with a double rocks glass, as opposed to using a Collins glass. The unfortunate side effect of the double rocks glass is I think I may have added a touch too much soda. The bubbles it added were great, don’t get me wrong. However I think I may have diluted the drink a little too much. But that is my personal preference as someone who likes a stronger drink, so your mileage may vary on that one.

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)