I have just returned from a 3-week long trip to Europe, to visit family and friends.
Apart from the observation that everything is jaw-droppingly expensive over there now, 'curtesy of' an ultra-weak yen, I came across something that is incredibly popular in Europe, yet is seemingly unknown in Japan: Aperol Spritz.
For anyone not familiar with the drink: The Aperol Spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an apéritif and consisting of Prosecco, Aperol (a botanical liqueur made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona) and soda water.
I found it on every drink menu I encountered both in Switzerland and the UK, and I saw it being served to many tables around us. My brother back in Switzerland, although not a big fan of alcoholic drinks, mentioned to me a couple of years ago how much he liked it especially during the summer months. However, until my latest trip last month, I had never actually tried it.
My wife and I have always favoured a glass of Prosecco, Crémant or (for special occasions) Champagne before a meal, and I guess old habits die hard.
But once I tried it, I was instantly hooked!
I found that there can hardly be something more refreshing than an Aperol Spritz, served with lots of ice and a slice of orange!
And while the cocktail may seem like a rather recent phenomenon, Aperol was in fact invented in Italy over 100 years ago, and the Aperol Spritz has been popular in the Southern-European country since the 1950s, whereas it caught on in the rest of Europe only in recent years, and especially so after the pandemic.
According to a BBC article from 2023, it practically took the world by storm in the last couple of years, from New York City to Singapore and everywhere in-between. Except for Japan, it seems, as I had never encountered it here before.
But perhaps it had meanwhile caught on?
On Friday, when my wife and I went to our favourite Spanish-Italian tapas restaurant nearby, I wanted to put this to the test, and while there was a whole array of cocktails and other drinks on the menu, Aperol Spritz was ominously absent.
Japan is a notoriously tough market to break into. Once Japanese people have been convinced of a new trend or product, they will go crazy over it. But to convince them in the first place can be a tough job.
So, until that happens, we have no other choice than to mix it ourselves. Luckily, Aperol is readily available at Amazon Japan (and reasonably priced, too!), so I can look forward to many more glasses of this delicious drink this summer - and beyond - without having to get on a 14-hour flight first...
My wife had her first taste of it last night and instantly loved it. After all, what is there not to love about it? Cheers!
Welcome back to Japan, Rolf. My wife and I will be visiting my relatives in Switzerland and do some sightseeing for 2 weeks this coming September. Since this is a topic about booze, did you have a taste of that Ueli beer in Basel?