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Thursday, May 31, 2012

From Rome to Munich

I'm back!  Although with a serious vacation hangover, otherwise known as jet lag, that causes me to wake up at midnight thinking I have had a full night's sleep and that it's time to get up because, after all, it's 10 a.m. in Europe.

It's the price I pay for having a fabulous vacation, right?  That and a couple of extra pounds despite walking an average of eight miles a day.  I'm back to the gym in a serious way.

David and I flew from Anchorage to Rome, which is less difficult than you might think--there is a flight that goes straight from Anchorage to Frankfurt in about nine hours, and then we caught a quick flight to Rome.  We stayed in Rome for four days and then gradually worked our way back through Florence, Bologna, Verona, Trento and Bolzano in northern Italy, Innsbruck, Austria and finally Munich before catching a train back to Frankfurt.

I am so happy to have a large supply of clean clothes and my own bed, and lots of material to share here.  To start, let me give you an aperitif.  Literally.

From Rome to Munich, I kept seeing wine glasses containing a slightly fizzy orange drink on every outdoor cafe table.  Either Aperol has a really great advertising budget, or, as I conceded when I finally tried one near the end of our trip, this was a brilliant drink.

Aperol is a liqueur made primarily of oranges, including blood orange, plus unidentified herbs and roots. 

An Aperol Spritz is a drink containing Aperol, sparkling wine and sparkling water.  It is traditionally consumed as an aperitif because it is light, relatively low in alcohol and a totally kick-ass color.  David and I brought a bottle of Aperol back to play with, and I'm hoping that I can find it here locally because it's going to become the drink of the summer.

Don't use your fancy champagne here.  Prosecco is the traditional wine of choice, but we made it with cheap Spanish sparkling wine (cava) and it tasted great.  Also, play with the proportions--David liked his with a little less sparkling wine and a little more water.

Aperol Spritz

3 jiggers Aperol liqueur
2 jiggers sparkling wine
1 jigger sparkling water or club soda
Orange slices for garnish (optional)

Pour the sparkling wine and water into a large wine glass and add a few ice cubes and an orange slice if you have one.  Add the Aperol and give it a very quick stir.

Makes one serving.


40 comments:

  1. So glad to hear you made it back safe and sound :)

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  2. This drink does sound good! I like drinks with citrus and wine, so I am sure I would enjoy this. Funny how something can be all the rage in Europe and almost unheard of here.
    I am sure your vacation was quite fun and memorable, but you do miss certain things. I look forward to seeing more posts from your vacation!

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  3. Welcome home. I know it had to be fabulous. And your flight from Anchorage sound a lot easier than the Minneapolis-Chicago-Amsterdam leg! The drink is so pretty and welcoming. Shall begin searching! Everyone needs to feel like they're in Italy once in a while.

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  4. Isn't traveling wonderful? Although its great to leave and discover, its great to come home.

    I have no doubt that you will be able to find Aperol in the states.

    No doubt an awesome trip.
    Velva

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  5. Can't wait to hear more about your trip. So is Aperol similar to Campari? I once read about a Bicyclette cocktail which was basically a Campari spritzer. (I think it was in Bon Appetit).

    So glad you had a great trip.

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    1. The color and taste is really close between Campari and Aperol (we had to pull out the Campari on Wednesday for a comparison, of course--just for scientific purposes). However, the Campari has a LOT more alcohol.

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  6. Wow, I would love to see Rome. It's on the bucket list. Jet lag is no fun though. But hey, you have this fab drink to make everything better.

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  7. What a great trip! And this drink looks perfect for summer!

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  8. Welcome back! Glad you had a good vacation and made it home safe.

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  9. Glad you are back...Happy to learn you enjoyed. We look forward for more adventure posts and pictures. Thanks!

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  10. I am sure you had a great time despite feeling tired after the flying and the walking too. I can imagine the loads of clothes waiting to be washed because I have done that many times after all the travelling I do too.

    Love the drink and wonderful treat for me during the weekend, a glass of this drink and lazing in front of the tv watching a movie.

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  11. Welcome back!! I can wait to hear more about your trip!! Sounds utterly fantastic. :) Get plenty of sleep, drink water and eat some bananas to get over the jet lag. Have a great weekend! ~ Ramona

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    1. Bananas...interesting. Does the potassium help with jet lag?

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  12. Welcome Home!!! Looking forward to all your post about your trip, so jealous! It's almost 2pm in Florida, time to toast your homecoming :)

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    1. Please do! Sadly, it's only 11 a.m. in Anchorage, and I've got hours to go before it's happy hour.

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  13. I love a good Aperol Spritz! we drank them everyday in Italy before dinner. I need to bring that tradition back in the States! (Maybe with a little more moderation :)

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    1. I know, it's so easy to have one every day while traveling!

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  14. Good to know you had a fabulous trip!! I totally agree, there is nothing like sleeping in on your own bed. This drink looks absolutely delish. I can't wait to hear more about your travel escapades. :)

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  15. I'm looking forward to hearing lots more about your amazing trip and seeing photos. Brian and I were introduced to Aperol last summer and we make a delicious martini with it.

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  16. Welcome back,,,I'm glad you guys had a great time,I hope jet lag go away soon :) perfect drinks to relax after great vacation,can't wait to hear more,,,

    Ridwan

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  17. Welome back my friend, I can't wait to hear about your amazing holiday :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  18. Welcome home...I know you had a wonderful trip. I always think the couple of pounds is worth with wonderful you enjoy while traveling. Your route sounds similar to ours last fall.

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  19. Welcome back! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time!

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  20. How fun that you brought a bit of Europe home with you!!! Welcome back~

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  21. Welcome back!!!!! I would totally pat that price as well for your fab vacation LOL! Sounds like a wonderful time that you two spend together!

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  22. That's an awesome vacation, and it's really great to discover and bring back something refreshingly different from your trip, now that's perfect for summer!

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  23. Sounds like a fabulous trip and a tasty drink! Yummy

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  24. Welcome back!
    Sounds like you had a great vacation!

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  25. Wow you've been all over the place! I'm glad to see you're back. That drink does sound intriguing.I would love to try some minus the alcohol!

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  26. Welcome back and hope you had a great time enjoying the lovely locales and food :)
    Love the color in this drink and I'm intrigued!!Would love to try it sometime :)

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  27. Sounds like an amazing trip! I can't wait to hear about some of your adventures.

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  28. It sounded like an amazing trip! Looking forward to seeing more from the trip. That drink looks so vibrant and tasty!

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  29. Ooo!! Welcome back!! I can't wait to hear more about your Italian adventures! I never tried the aperol when we were in Italy and now I wish that we had! Sigh...maybe next time. Hope you're settling in!

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  30. So glad to have you back! Sounds like fun started from the very first hours of your trip!

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  31. Sounds like you had a great time. I've never heard of or seen aperol before I'll have to look out for it.

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  32. It seems far from Anchorage to Italy but I guess it's not. I'm so jealous you went to Italy! I hope you had some relaxing time as well as fun sightseeing and all. Welcome back!!

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