Easy Drinking

Are you thirsty? Are you lazy like I am? Is it summer? Yes? Grab a glass, then, folks because I'm going to introduce you to (or remind you about) two of the easiest, most refreshing adult beverages of the season: shandy and Aperol Spritz á la Mara.  

I was introduced to Aperol Spritz via Instagram. Some glamorous Italian in my feed had hashtagged it and because I also want to be glamorous I looked up the recipe, and it turned out to be pretty much the best thing I've ever tasted. In the lazy, imprecise version, you take a glass of ice, fill it halfway with bubbly, pour in enough Aperol to give it that gorgeous orange-hospital-jello hue (but not too much because it's quite bitter), top it with a splash of Sprite and enjoy while imagining you're much thinner, richer and possessing of fine sartorialistic sensibilities than you actually are.

My research (a.k.a. a quick Google search) tells me that a shandy is half beer, half soft drink of basically any kind, but the shandy that I've come to know and love is mostly beer with just enough Sprite to make the beer actually taste good. And here's the best thing about it: if you make it with alcohol-free beer you can drink it on your porch ALL DAY LONG. Just put in a plastic cup in that case, though, so your neighbors don't get the wrong idea about you.

If your thirst still isn't quenched, try my favorite drinks from the summer of 2015 or 2016. Happy mixing!