This apéritif is the perfect drink for any spring occasion

The spring racing carnival is a social highlight every year and there’s no better way to enjoy this fabulous event and, indeed, this time of year, than gathering a group of friends together either at the track or at home for a stylish trackside celebration or spring carnival-focussed lunch, dinner or early evening aperitif.

Whether hosting an upscale Melbourne Cup lunch with friends in the comfort of your own home or donning a new season race-appropriate look and heading out to the track for one of the many thrilling race days, it’s a marvellous time of year from any point of view.

Of course, any spring racing carnival social gathering or outing is instantly made when it includes sublime sips and delicious nosh. While the noshing options are best left up to the chef or host, the cocktail component is resoundingly catered for by the enduringly popular, brightly-hued, Italian apéritif, Aperol.

With a heritage that goes back 100 years—Aperol was introduced in 1919 in Padua, Italy by brothers Luigi and Silvio Barbieri, who had spent seven years perfecting the apéritif’s recipe—combined with its modern, Instagram-friendly iteration favoured by the hosts of the chicest soirées in the form of the Aperol Spritz, it makes sense that this racing season it’s the celebratory cocktail on everyone’s must-sip list, including influencer Steffanie Tzaneros and her well-heeled friends.

“I always look forward to the spring racing season, it’s such a fun time of year to get really dressed up and celebrate with good friends!” Tzaneros told Vogue. “This year I will be heading to Flemington for Derby Day, which is one of my favourite days of the spring racing week, and then for Melbourne Cup day I will be attending a beautiful girls luncheon in Sydney! I have no doubt that my friends and I will be sipping on an Aperol Spritz on both occasions as it is always our favourite celebratory cocktail!”

In the past, Aperol has traditionally been associated with summer, in large part thanks to its vibrant orange hue, but more recently, the Italian apéritif has become the consummate host or hostess’s ideal addition to any social gathering at any time of the year and a go-to drink for any celebratory event, including during spring racing season or while on vacation.

“Aperol is almost always my go-to drink whenever there is a social or celebratory event taking place. Whether I am vacationing somewhere in the Mediterranean with my family, attending a birthday or simply just having a girls get together—there is nothing better than celebrating life with Aperol!” Tzaneros shared with Vogue.

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